Dr. Steensma provides eye examinations for all age groups from the child (pediatric) to the senior (geriatric). Just different tests and procedures are used.
Eye examinations should not be stressful. Relax, - just answer the questions the best you can and don’t worry. The doctor will sort through the data to find the very best solution. Our examination instruments may be different than some you have seen before. Patients often comment on the sophisticated instruments we use.
The Autorefractor scans the inside of your eye and determines a preliminary prescription. All you have to do is look straight ahead.
The Field Analyzer measures your side, or peripheral vision. Many eye diseases, such as glaucoma, are often first detected by subtle changes in side vision.
The Auto-Lensometer measures the power of your glasses. It is much more accurate than the traditional measuring equipment.
The Retinal Camera is a state of the art instrument. Because it is digital, it allows us to take extremely detailed images of the back of your eye. It allows earlier detection of many eye diseases. Also, the ability to compare a current image to a previous image should allow for earlier detection of eye disease. These days, most eye diseases can be treated if detected early enough. In the first two months that we used this instrument, we identified 8 patients with early eye disease that was not detected with traditional examination instruments.
Inside the eye is the only place in the body where you can actually see arteries and veins. Any disease process that affects those vessels can be first detected inside the eye. Looking into someone's eyes is truly a way to look into their general health.
The camera allows us to document the appearance of those vessels now and even more importantly, compare a future photo with a previous photo. Because we can magnify a digital image much larger than the actual image, Dr. Steensma often finds early eye disease changes before they are obvious with traditional examination techniques.
Some offices offer retinal photography to their patients for an additional charge. We take retinal pictures of every patient we exam. It's that important!