Explaining Your Eye Exam

An eye exam is an important health check. A thorough eye exam can find signs of illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

There are no age limits; we are able to check the eye health of young infants if you have a concern about your child's vision. You don't need to be an existing patient with us and there is no need to register. We treat both private an NHS patients.

About our Optician

Our Optician has over 30 years experience in the field and has worked for 16 years as the director of the contact lens clinic at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and 8 years for the NHS in Peterborough monitoring Glaucoma. He has a wealth of experience in treating patients and their individual needs.

We have recently invested in new equipment that allows our optician to photograph the inside of your eyes. This process, known as retinal photography, helps us keep track of your eyes' health and monitor any changes.


What will happen during my eye exam?

1. Updating our records
One of our optical assistants will take your details and update our records.

2. The Focimeter
If you wear glasses we will measure their lenses to find an approximate prescription for our optician to begin his examination.

3. Health and Lifestyle
Our optician will ask your health and lifestyle. It is important that he understands if you are currently having any difficulties with your vision or have any needs that you would like addressed.

4. Test Charts
Using a chart of letters or symbols our optician will find which strength lenses offer you the best vision. During this part of the exam he may flip different lenses in front of your eyes and ask you which is clearer. He will test each eye individually and then together until he is happy that you have the best, most comfortable vision possible for you.

5. The oxo box
By asking if the lines on the oxo box are aligned as you look at them, our optician will test how well co-ordinated your eyes are while working together.

6. Opthalmoscope and Microscope
Our Optician will use a tool called an opthalmoscope to view the internal structure of your eyes. By shining a light onto the back of the eye (the retina) he will be able to see that it  is healthy. By taking a photo of the back of the eye with our new fundus camera he can keep a record of your eyes' health.

With our microscope our optician will check the health of the front surfaces of your eyes. This can be particularly important if you wear contact lenses.

7. Further Tests
Having examined your eyes with the ophthalmoscope and microscope our Optician may perform other tests including a pressure check or a visual field test. He may ask to put eye drops in your eyes for some of these tests.

8. Discussing your needs
After the examination the optician will explain his findings and recommendations. He will answer any questions that you may have.

9. Choosing your new glasses
The optician will then pass you on to a dispenser who will help you to choose some new glasses.


If you would like to book an exam you can call us on 0116 2532788 or fill out our online booking form. You don't need to be an existing patient with us and there is no need to register. We accept both private and NHS patients of all ages.