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Your Comprehensive Eye Exam in Fullerton, CA

Your Comprehensive Eye Exam

Eye care is a preventative specialty which requires annual check-ups to establish excellent eye health and prevent vision loss. Because of this, We have a variety of specialized tests which allows our doctors to better assess and correct your vision. At 20/20 EyeCare Center, we are dedicated to providing the best comprehensive eye exams in Fullerton, CA, something that other offices cannot guarantee.  The following information will explain what to expect in your Comprehensive exam!

Patient Background and History

One of the most important details in our comprehensive eye exam is your health history. This information will strengthen the communication between you and your doctor by alerting them to any conditions that should be monitored closely. This can include allergies to any medications, hereditary medical conditions, or environmental conditions that could affect your vision. This will also help the optometrists in our Fullerton, CA eye clinic to determine any preventative eye care measures to keep your eyes healthy for years to come.

Visual Acuity

Visual Acuity is a preliminary test to determine how clearly each eye can see. This does not give you a prescription for corrective lenses, but the familiar scores of 20/20, 20/40, and 20/60 etc. These scores are ratios that compare your vision from a distance of 20 feet. For example, a patient with 20/40 vision, can only see up to 20 feet of what a 20/20 patient can see at 40 feet.


A refraction will tell the eye doctor which prescription lenses will correct your eyesight to achieve 20/20 vision. Those who don’t have 20/20 vision have what is referred to as a “Refractive Error.” This is a very common diagnosis, which can indicate nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or other conditions that may prevent 20/20 vision. A refraction may include a couple of steps.

Retinoscopy and Phoropter

The retinoscope and phoropter are the most common tools used by optometrists to determine an appropriate prescription for lenses

The retinoscope is a hand-held instrument that shines a light into the eye.  The doctor can then analyze the reflection of the light to obtain an approximate prescription. To further improve the accuracy of the Doctor's prescription, they utilized a phoropter.



Autorefractors and aberrometers are computerized machines that  measure your refractive error to determine your prescription for glasses or contact lenses. These instruments are usually used in addition to testing described earlier:


Eye Focusing and Eye Teaming Tests


Eye Health

The most important aspect of a comprehensive eye exam is a check -up of your overall eye health. These tests (below) are done to identify any eye conditions or diseases, both internal and external, that could affect your vision and general health.

A Digital Image

a digital image of your eye allows the eye doctor to have a better view of your retina (A collection of nerves, located in the back of the eye, that allow you to see). This test helps the eye doctor improve the accuracy of their treatment, as well as catch any early signs of diseases.

Retinal Mapping

Retinal mapping allows our Fullerton optometrist to see the layers of the retina in 3D. This test is incredibly important for catching early retinal detachments, macular degeneration, effects of medication, and changes due to age.

Slit Lamp Test

The slit lamp or biomicroscope is an instrument that allows the eye doctors in our Fullerton, CA eye clinic to examine the internal and external parts of the eye in detail such as the conjunctiva, iris, lens, cornea, retina and the optic nerve.

The patient places their head on the instrument's headrest, while the optometrist looks into the eye with the slit lamp microscope. This allows the doctor to evaluate signs of  aging and eye pathology such as: conjunctivitis, cataracts, macular degeneration or retinal detachment. Early diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases are essential for preventing vision loss.



Pupil Dilation

During your comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor may decide that it is necessary to dilate your eye. Dilation drops enlarge the pupils of your eye, allowing the doctor to have a better view of the internal mechanisms. This is extremely important for catching any early signs of diseases as well as monitoring the health of your eye. Dilation is done at the discretion of the doctor, with some patients dilated every year and others at specified intervals; the frequency of dilation will vary for each patient.

Typically the drops take around 20 to 30 minutes to take effect and may last up to several hours following the exam; each patient is different. Since more light enters the eyes when pupils are dilated, you will be more sensitive to brightness and sunlight. The optometrist will provide you with disposable sunglasses to compensate for the sensitivity


A comprehensive eye exam is an important part of your overall general health maintenance and should be scheduled on a regular basis. This is because many diseases do not display their symptoms until irreversible damage has occurred. Our specialty tests from your comprehensive eye exam give your eye doctor important information about how to protect the health of your eyes!