What are some common questions about a VisionSafe Eye Check?

Praveen Patel:

What are some of the common questions people ask about VisionSafe Eye Check: well, I think, in the first instance, people ask how long it’s going to take. And the answer is: it can take anything up to an hour, or an hour and a half. And that includes the time we spend with you at your consultation, talking to you about why you’ve come to see us, and any particular concerns or symptoms. Going through your ocular history and general health history. But, also, then carrying out the imaging tests, or scans, that we need to do to help us to establish a diagnosis.

But, in addition to that, people often worry about pain, whether the examination or evaluation is going to be painful. And, thankfully, it isn’t. The scans we use, use a form of light to scan across the retina and allow us to painlessly produce three-dimensional images of the back of the eye. And that allows us to be pretty precise and specific about the condition of the retina and, indeed, the optic nerve head.

The final thing people ask us is: how frequently these tests need to be performed again and how long the tests will last. And the VisionSafe check would last for about a year or so. But, clearly, we’re all getting older; things change over time, and the test would need to be repeated over time to make sure things haven’t changed.

Though the interval itself can be tailored, based on how your eyes look and based on your individual needs.

Lydia Chang:

Some patients ask us about whether they can drive to the appointment. And that’s a really important question to answer because, actually, some of the drops that we use to examine the eye might dilate the pupils and blur the vision. So, I generally recommend that people don’t drive to our consultations.

Also, some patients ask about whether they should bring a record of their medical history to the consultation. And I recommend that they bring a list of their medicines that they’re currently taking because your general health can sometimes produce eye problems that are relevant to the VisionSafe check.

Praveen Patel:

We’ve answered a lot of the questions that people generally ask about the VisionSafe check, on our website and in some of these videos. So, I invite you to take a look at the rest of the videos and, indeed, the website, for further information.