Your eye doctor will examine your eyes to make sure your eyes are healthy and to recommend the right correction for your vision.

A retinoscope is used to shine a light into your eye to view the reflection from the retina in the back of the eye. Using an instrument called a phoropter, you will look at an eye chart through a number of lenses and your ophthalmologist will estimate the amount of refractive error that needs to be corrected.

Who should give you a vision exam? There are a variety of eye care providers you could see, including ophthalmologists and optometrists. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors and the only group of eye care specialists who can provide the full spectrum of eye care—from prescribing glasses and contact lenses to complex and delicate eye surgery such as LASIK, to diagnosing and treating eye diseases. Find out more about the different kinds of eye care providers, and the difference between ophthalmologists and optometrists.

Find out more about eye exams and how to properly care for your eyes at each stage fo your life.