Eye Tests

When you sit down with us for an eye exam, prepare for roughly 45 minutes of careful consultation and assessment to ensure you receive accurate solutions for your unique optical health profile. Here’s how we do it:

Step 1

Compile your visual and medical history as some conditions can lead to eye health issues as you age. We want to discover how you use your vision and what’s important to you.

Step 2

Run a series of additional tests including retinal imaging for a full inspection of the eye to check for signs of disease or degeneration.

Step 3

Conduct visual acuity chart tests and refraction to determine your spectacle prescription. This informs your lens choices.

Our comprehensive assessments may include the use of Optical Coherence Tomography instruments for early detection of glaucoma, macular degeneration and other conditions. Our Optomap wide-field retinal imaging technology captures up to 80% of the total retina including the macula. It’s a revolutionary device and an important tool for accurate monitoring of eye health. That’s why we generally take Optomap images at all routine appointments. Please note that this service incurs a fee of $39 ($35 for pensioners).

We perform all of these procedures in-house so you can ask any questions you may have at any stage. If glasses are necessary, we’ll also take you through the process of selecting the best frame fit for your prescription and personal style.

In addition to routine eye tests, our Optometrists can also assist with:

Drivers’s licence checks
Foreign body removal
Red, sore or dry eyes
Diabetic eye tests
Glaucoma testing
Referrals to specialists

Common questions asked by our customers

How much does it cost for an eye test?

Most eye tests are bulk billed to Medicare (subject to eligibility). On top of this we offer the latest technology in ocular imaging, with some services attracting an additional charge.

What should I bring to my eye test?

Please bring all current glasses or previous contact lens prescriptions and any relevant medical reports about your eyes (if available).

How long should I allow for my eye test?

Grab a 1-hour car park, not because we’re tardy, but because we like to allow the time to ensure we get it right.

Contact Lens Consultations

Many glasses wearers have the option to switch to contact lenses for practical or aesthetic purposes. For that initial switch, a consultation is needed to gauge eligibility and ensure that your contact lenses are well suited to your lifestyle and optometric needs. Our experienced Optometrists are qualified to prescribe a range of contact lenses, including specialty lenses to treat various eye conditions.

Contact lenses for astigmatism
Contact lenses for myopia control
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP)/hard contact lenses for keratoconus
Custom coloured contact lenses to adjust eye colour

Your consultation begins with an eye health assessment which will in part aim to gauge the health of your cornea to ensure its readiness for contacts. Once your assessment indicates your eligibility for contact lenses our team will take all the necessary measurements of your eyes to produce the perfect fit.

After care is crucial to responsible contact lens use so we will take the time to educate you on the process required to insert, remove and maintain your lenses hygienically and check in with you to ensure you remain on track.

Children’s Testing

Regular vision assessment is essential to children’s general health and wellbeing. Vision problems of varying severity are common in kids and can impact their ability to perform academically or interact socially if left untreated.

Children with vision impairment may not be aware of their problem because they’ve never experienced better vision but you may notice certain signs like:

Leaning very close to books and having problems reading
Sitting very close to televisions and other devices
Squinting and/or rubbing eyes frequently
Complaints of sore eyes, light sensitivity or headaches

Catching any of these issues early on allows for targeted intervention that can minimise any damage that might result. Whether these symptoms are present or not, have our friendly team guide your child through the eye examination process before they start school and continue to build the habit of consistent eye care.

Retinal Imaging

Digital Retinal Imaging gives us a painless, non-invasive way to look closely at the back of your eye. The level of detail available in the photographs that result allows us to detect eye disease much earlier and often before symptoms can be felt. By taking retinal images at different times over the course of your life, a collection of images from previous visits will exist that can be referred to if changes occur.

Accurate diagnosis at an early stage is crucial to maintaining vision or slowing decline depending on the condition that presents itself. As we age, and we become more susceptible to vision related issues, retinal imaging becomes an even more essential aspect of our eye health care process.

Myopia

Myopia, or short-sightedness, is where people don’t see distance objects clearly. Myopia typically worsens from childhood through to late teens or early twenties. If your child is diagnosed with myopia or identified as being at high risk of developing myopia, we will book them into our dedicated myopia clinic. This will include review for progression at least every six months, discussion of risk factors and lifestyle advice, and a treatment plan put in place. There is no cure for myopia, but with treatment, its progression can be slowed. Christensen Harbison Optometrists are endorsed to prescribe low-dose atropine eye drops. They have also completed the required accreditations to prescribe Hoya Miyosmart and Zeiss MyoCare myopia control spectacle lenses as well as Coopervision MiSight myopia control contact lenses.

Myopia control is an evolving field and Christensen Harbison Optometrists strives to stay at the forefront of best practice. For further information about Myopia visit www.mykidsvision.org or speak with your Optometrist.

Specialty Services