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Most of us remember to have dental checks, but we often neglect our eyes. Regular eye checks are crucial, as they can detect under-lying health problems as well as help to maintain good vision.

Although eye examinations are still free for certain people (see panel), for most of us it will set us back between £25 to £50. It's money well spent, as full eye examinations serve two purposes. The first is to check the health of your eyes, which can also provide clues to your general state of health. The second is to investigate your vision, and determine whether you need some form of corrective lens or other care. 

The majority of eye examinations are performed by optometrists,  who are trained to examine eyes and to detect eye disease and abnormalities. As a general rule, you should have a full eye exam at least every two years, but follow your optometrist’s advice. Children should also have their eyes examined. Although yours may have a sight test in school, they don’t usually get a full eye exam. Children are entitled to free exams, so make the most of it.

Before starting the examination the optometrist will ask a number of questions, including whether you’ve had problems with your eyes, if you currently wear glasses or lenses, have had any serious eye injury or infection, and if any close relatives have had any eye problems. You’ll also be asked about your general health and any medication you’re taking, as well as the type of work you do as this can also affect your eye health.

The first step is to assess your current prescription and your vision. The optometrist may ask you to read letters on a test chart, which has letters in decreasing size.

The optometrist will also check (often with a microscope) the external appearance of your eyes, including the lids and the surrounding skin. To check the inside of your eye, he’ll use an ophthalmascope, a hand held torch-like instrument or a special lens.

Occasionally you might be given eye drops to enlarge and dilate the pupils, which helps provide a better view of the inside of the eye. Internal examinations can detect problems with the lens and retina, as well as early stages of cataract, glaucoma and conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. In some cases these findings may be recorded with digital photography. Children may require different eye drops top relax their eyes and give a more accurate result

Tests using lenses of different strengths may be done to determine the prescription of any glasses or contact lenses you might need. Further tests are made to check the coordination of your eyes. You may also be tested for glaucoma using an applanation tonometer, which directly measures the pressure inside the eye. This test for glaucoma sends a puff of compressed air to the eye.

A full eye exam takes around half an hour. At the end the optometrist will discuss the results and you'll be given a prescription if you need corrective lenses. If any abnormality is found, you'll usually be referred to your doctor or specialist at an eye hospital for treatment. Some conditions your optometrist may treat, monitor, or investigate himself.

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