What Do Doctors Do?
If you, your parent, or your doctor suspects a visual problem, you'll
probably pay a visit to an ophthalmologist (pronounced: af-thal-mah-luh-jist),
a medical doctor who specializes in examining, diagnosing, and treating eyes
and eye diseases. When someone goes for an examination, the ophthalmologist
will look at the structure of that person's eye.
Other simple tests an ophthalmologist may perform include:
Visual acuity test. A person reads an eye
chart to measure how well he or she sees at various distances.
Visual field test. Ophthalmologists use
this test to measure side, or peripheral, vision.
Tonometry test. This test determines
the fluid pressure inside the eye to evaluate for glaucoma.
If your doctor determines that you have an eye condition that is
likely to cause visual impairment, many treatments are available. Options may
include eyeglasses, contact lenses, and eye drops or other medicines.
In some cases, surgery may be required. For instance, cataracts are
often treated by removing the clouded lens and replacing it with an intraocular
lens (an artificial plastic lens that requires no special care and restores
vision).
Other methods can compensate for vision loss. Guide dogs can help
people get from place to place independently. Braille allows those with visual
impairment to read and write. Special equipment such as microscopic and
telescopic glasses and voice-recognition software can make school and homework
easier.
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