It's important to have regular eye exams throughout your life to protect your vision. The frequency depends on your age, whether you wear glasses, and if you have a medical eye condition. The tests you'll have during your eye exam will vary too, depending on if you're having a checkup to get glasses or if you're being tested for a medical condition. Here are some ways your eyes may be tested.

Visual Acuity Test

You've probably had a visual acuity test done before, even if it was done as a child. This is the classic test where you stand or sit in front of a chart with letters on it and you need to read the letters as far down the chart as you can go. This is an easy and quick test to have done, and it lets your eye doctor know how well you can see out of each eye since you cover one eye at a time as you read the letters.

Peripheral Vision Test

A peripheral vision test might be done on a computer or by hand. The eye doctor may move their pencil or their finger from the front of your body to far off the side to test your range of vision. A loss of peripheral vision can be caused by disorders such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, optic nerve problems, or damage to your retina.

Eye Pressure Check

Your eye doctor may want to give you an eye exam to check for glaucoma. One way to do this is with a tonometry test that measures eye pressure. High eye pressure could be a sign of glaucoma. You may have numbing eye drops put in first so the test won't be uncomfortable.

Fundoscopy

This eye exam allows the eye doctor to look inside your eye for signs of problems. You're given eye drops first that dilate your eyes. Then the doctor shines a light in your eyes that lets them see the internal structures, such as the optic nerve, cornea, blood vessels, and retina.

If you've scheduled eye exams to update a glasses prescription or to get glasses for the first time, your appointment will probably be quick. You'll leave with your prescription the same day. If you're having exams to evaluate a medical condition, the exams could take much longer. If this is important information for you to know, you may want to ask the receptionist when you make your appointment how long you should expect your visit to last.