What to Expect at Your Eye Exam

If you've never had a comprehensive eye exam before — or it's been a while — knowing what to expect can make the visit feel a lot less intimidating. Here's a walkthrough of a typical appointment.

Before your exam

Bring your current glasses or contacts, a list of any medications you're taking, and your insurance information if you have vision coverage. If you wear contacts, wear your glasses to the appointment instead, since the exam includes tests best done without lenses in.

Visual acuity testing

This is the classic "read the chart" test, used to measure how clearly you see at various distances. It's the baseline for figuring out your prescription.

Refraction test

Using a device called a phoropter, your optometrist will show you a series of lens options and ask which looks clearer — this fine-tunes your exact prescription for glasses or contacts.

Eye health screening

Your optometrist checks the overall health of your eyes, looking for early signs of conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. This often involves a bright light and sometimes eye drops to dilate your pupils for a clearer view of the retina.

Additional testing, if needed

Depending on your age, symptoms, and history, your optometrist may run additional tests — like checking eye pressure or digital retinal imaging — to get a fuller picture of your eye health.

Your prescription and next steps

At the end of the exam, you'll receive a written prescription valid for glasses, along with any recommendations. If you're interested in contact lenses, that requires a separate contact lens fitting — the eye exam alone doesn't include the additional measurements needed for a contact lens prescription. If you need new lenses or frames, our opticians can help you right in the same visit.

Book your exam

Our comprehensive eye exams are $80, performed by our licensed optometrist, with direct billing available to most major insurers. Book online or visit our Ajax optical store — serving patients from Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, and across Durham Region.