Eye Health

Eye Exam Information

Optometric Services: Health Care Coverage in Saskatchewan

According to Saskatchewan Health, if you are a Saskatchewan resident with Saskatchewan Health coverage and you:

• are under 18 years of age, or
• have diagnosed diabetes, or
• receive a Saskatchewan Income Plan supplement, or
• receive benefits under the Supplementary Health Program or Family Health Benefits, you will receive the following:
• routine eye examinations (limited to one per 24-month period if you are over 18 or one per 12-month period if you under 18 or have diabetes)
• partial eye examinations (except when your Optometrist provides the service within 90 days of a routine eye examination)
• glaucoma testing (when your Optometrist provides it during a routine eye examination, and you are 40 years of age or older).

Eye Exam Frequency: How often should you have an eye exam?

Eye health and vision examinations play a vital role in ensuring a lifetime of clear vision and healthy eyes. Your Optometrist will ensure you are attaining the best vision possible and check for eye diseases such as glaucoma or macular degeneration (see the vision education library for more information about these and other conditions).

Regular eye health checks are essential because eye disease can progress without any apparent symptoms. Often, by the time the sufferer notices symptoms of a disease, the vision has been permanently damaged. By having your eyes examined regularly, your Optometrist can detect signs of illness in its earliest stages and ensure prompt treatment.

The minimum recommended frequency of examination is as follows:

• Infants and toddlers (birth to 24 months): Once between age 6 and 9 months
• Preschool (2 to 5 years): At least one exam between ages 2 and 5 years
• School-age (6 to 19 years): Annually
• Adult (20 to 39 years): Every 2 to 3 years
• Adult (40 to 64 years): Every 2 years
• Adult (65 years and older): Annually
• Contact lenses wearers: Annually
• Persons with diabetes: Annually
• Or as recommended by your Optometrist

If you are at high risk for eye disease, your Optometrist may recommend more frequent eye exams. "High risk" factors can include:

• Infants and toddlers and preschoolers: Premature birth; low birth weight; mother's health during pregnancy; family medical history; an eye 'turn'; or congenital eye disorders.
• School-age children: those are experiencing difficulty at school; children exhibiting reading and/or learning disabilities.
• Adults: diabetes; hypertension; family history of glaucoma; those whose work is visually demanding or who face eye hazards.
• Older adults: diabetes; hypertension; family history of glaucoma; those are taking the systemic medication with ocular side effects.

Your Optometrist will recommend regular checkups for you at a frequency that meets YOUR particular eye care needs.

What does an eye exam include?

Your Optometrist will perform several tests to assess your vision and eye health and will keep a file of this information to track changes from one visit to the next. You can expect a typical optometric examination to include:

• Case history: You will be asked about your general health, medications you may be taking, your working environment, hobbies, etc. You will also be asked to describe any vision problems you may have been experiencing.
• External eye examination: Your Optometrist will examine the area around the eye to check for any problems.
• Internal eye examination: Using the slit lamp microscope and an ophthalmoscope, your Optometrist will check your eyes for indications of abnormalities, from front to back. Some problems detected during an internal eye examination may indicate possible diseases, such as diabetes or hypertension.
• Tonometry: Tonometry measures the fluid pressure in the eye and is a necessary test in detecting glaucoma.
• Vision tests: Several tests are used to assess your vision:
  • Retinoscopy: The Optometrist can determine the strength of your eyes using various lenses and the retinoscope. This is done without feedback from the patient and is, therefore, an invaluable instrument for assessing the vision problems of children and others who may not be able to read an eye chart.
  • Visual acuity tests. Using a simple wall chart and hand-held charts, your Optometrist will assess your ability to see small detail clearly at both near and far distances. You may sit behind a phoropter, an instrument containing a combination of lenses. Lens choices are systematically changed until a clear focus is obtained.
  • Eye Movement: Using many different tests, the Optometrist will evaluate how well your eyes align or coordinate when working together and individually.
  • Peripheral Vision: The Optometrist may evaluate how well you see targets which are not directly in front of you.
• Other tests may be undertaken to evaluate your ability to change focus, see colour correctly, or perceive depth correctly.

Your Optometrist will choose the tests required to evaluate YOUR visual system adequately.