Get your eye test with your trusted optician
IT IS important to get your eyes examined regularly, even if you do not need glasses.
A regular eye exam may help to prevent unnecessary sight loss and is an easy process.
As we get older eye exams become increasingly important with many people experiencing a slight loss of sight in one or both eyes in their forties.
It is equally important for children to have their eyes tested and the good news is your local optician is open and ready to see you or your child.
An optometrist is qualified to examine the eyes and prescribe and supply spectacles and contact lenses. Although commonly referred to as opticians (ophthalmic opticians), the official title in Irish law is now optometrist.
Your optometrist will discuss any problems you are having, such as headaches or difficulty seeing up close or in the distance. You may also be asked about your family history, as well as your own medical history. Certain conditions may be hereditary, such as glaucoma and diabetes.
The optometrist will then check your distance vision by seeing how far down the letter chart you can read. This is done first without any spectacles and then with your spectacles, if you have any.
This is used to determine the prescription you may need. The optometrist uses a retinoscope to shine a light on the back of the eye (the retina), which shows him/her a red reflection called the retinal reflex. When the optometrist moves the retinoscope, this reflex moves also. The optometrist will put trial lenses in the trial frame in front of the eye until the reflex stops moving.
The optometrist will now determine the final strength of the spectacles required. This time you will be asked to read the letters on the chart while the optometrist tests stronger and weaker lenses until you can see best.
The optometrist uses the ophthalmoscope to view inside the eye. This instrument has a series of tiny lenses on a revolving rack and by changing these the optometrist can focus on the front of the eye (the cornea) right through to the back (the retina). This part of the exam is a vital health check for the eye. It can reveal conditions such as cataract, glaucoma and retinal detachment.
The eye is the only part of the body where the blood vessels can be seen without surgery. The optometrist can see the arteries and veins in the retina and can therefore detect problems like high blood pressure and diabetes. However, the optometrist is not qualified to diagnose these problems so if he/she detects anything abnormal the patient will be referred to their GP, or directly to a specialist if necessary.
The HSE is obliged to provide optical services free of charge to: Medical card holders and their dependants; Pre-school children and national school children referred from child health service and school health service examinations; People with Hepatitis C who contracted the disease through the use of Human Immunoglobulin-Anti-D or from the receipt within Ireland of any blood product or a blood transfusion and who have a Health Amendment Act Card.
Vision tests and standard prescription spectacles (where required for medical rather than cosmetic reasons) are free of charge to the groups listed above.
Children who are discovered to have sight problems at child health service or school health service examinations are referred to the appropriate consultant for treatment. If this treatment is carried out at the outpatient department of a public hospital, the service is free and no hospital charges have to be paid.
For more information on medical cards visit the HSE’s medical card website or contact your local HSE office.
The Treatment Benefit Scheme is available to insured workers and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. Under the scheme, you get a contribution towards the costs involved. To qualify for Treatment Benefit you must satisfy the PRSI conditions
The Treatment Benefit is a scheme run by the Department of Social and Family Affairs that may allow you to qualify for: optical benefit.
Employees
Irish employers are required to provide eye tests for staff that use computers for more than one hour a day. Find out more from the Health and Safety Authority
This scheme was changed in Budget 2010 and will now be restricted to the medical and surgical appliances scheme, free dental examinations and free eyesight examinations. This means that people who have sufficient PRSI contributions may qualify for a free eye exam only; free spectacles or contact lenses will no longer be available.