Just for Kids

First Time? Advice from Other Kids
Eye Exam


Eye Exam, by Kira, Age 15

When you first arrive, check in at the first desk in the general Ophthalmology Department where you get your chart and a form to take over to the next desk in the Pediatric Ophthalmology area. Sign in and give them your charts and the form. After checking in, go to the waiting room. There is a little play area with toys and activities.

The Clinic Coordinator will call you to an examining room, where an orthoptist will do an eye exam and vision check. After she leaves, you wait some more in this examining room. A resident comes into the room, looks at your chart, and reviews the medicines you are taking and asks if anything has changed since your last visit. The resident looks at your eyes with a bright light and tests your vision by having you read some letters at the end of the room. All of the lights are off in the room and it is quite dark in there, but you get to watch fun cartoons during the exam. If your eyes need to be dilated, the orthoptist will put drops in your eyes. These drops sting, but only for about a minute.

Now you go back to the waiting room for about 30 minutes for your eyes to dilate. During this wait, they put a second set of drops in your eyes while you are in the waiting room. When you are called back to a different examining room, the resident examines your dilated eyes. Then, your primary ophthalmologist comes to see you and does a full eye exam and tells you what's happening.


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Last modification date: Wed Jun 25 15:57:08 2008
URL: http://www.uihealthcare.com /depts/uichildrenshospital/forkids/yourvisit/kidsadvice/eyexam.html