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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you're having difficulty with your vision, start by seeing either an optometrist or ophthalmologist. To make the most of your time with your doctor, it's a good idea to prepare for your appointment. Here's some information to help you prepare and to know what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medications, vitamins and supplements that you're taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Preparing a list of questions ahead of time will help you make the most of your time with your doctor. List your questions from most important to least important. For presbyopia, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
- Other than the most likely cause, what are other possible causes?
- Do I need any tests other than a complete eye examination?
- What is the best course of action?
- What are the alternatives to the primary approach that you're suggesting?
- If I have other eye conditions, how can I best manage them together?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared, don't hesitate to ask questions any time you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions, including some that relate to your general health, your medical history, your eye health history, your family medical history and your history of eye problems. Your doctor may ask:
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous, or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
- Do you do a lot of reading or other close work?
What you can do in the meantime
If you're having difficulty seeing close up, make sure you have adequate lighting. You also can try using over-the-counter reading glasses.
- Optometric clinical practice guideline: Care of the patient with presbyopia. American Optometric Association. http://www.aoa.org/documents/CPG-17.pdf. Accessed March 11, 2009.
- Eye exams. Eye care America: The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://www.eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/treatment/eye-exams.cfm. Accessed March 11, 2009.
- Adult vision: 41 to 60 years of age. American Optometric Association. http://www.aoa.org/x9453.xml. Accessed March 11, 2009.
- Learning about LASIK. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/lasik. Accessed March 11, 2009
- Pepose, J. Maximizing satisfaction with presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses: The missing links. American Journal of Ophthalmology. 2008;146:641.
- Questions and answers about refractive errors. National Eye Institute. http://www.nei.nih.gov/CanWeSee/qa_refractive.asp. Accessed March 11, 2009.
