If you have never had an eye test before, or it has been a while, knowing what to expect can help you feel more at ease. A standard eye test in the UK is straightforward, painless, and takes around 20 to 30 minutes. Here is what happens step by step.
Your appointment begins with a conversation. Your optometrist will ask about your general health, any medications you take, your family's eye health history, and any specific vision concerns you have. Be honest and thorough — this information helps the optometrist tailor the examination. Mention any headaches, eye strain, difficulty with screens, or changes you have noticed in your vision.
Next comes the vision test. You will be asked to read letters on a chart (usually on a screen) from a set distance. This measures your visual acuity — how clearly you can see. You will read with each eye individually and then with both eyes together. Do not worry about getting every letter right; the optometrist is mapping the limits of your vision.
The refraction is the part where the optometrist determines whether you need glasses (or a change to your existing prescription). You look through a series of lenses and are asked which is clearer — "lens one or lens two?" This is repeated multiple times to fine-tune the prescription. There are no wrong answers, and the optometrist can cross-check your responses with objective measurements.
Your eye pressure is then measured using tonometry. This can involve a small puff of air aimed at your eye (non-contact tonometry) or a gentle touch of a probe to the surface of your eye (contact tonometry, usually after numbing drops). This is a key screening test for glaucoma.
Finally, the optometrist examines the health of your eyes. Using an ophthalmoscope and/or slit lamp microscope, they look at the front surface of your eyes, your lens, and the retina at the back. Some opticians also take a photograph of your retina or perform an OCT scan for a more detailed view. At the end, your optometrist discusses the results and any recommendations with you.