Reviewed by Thomas Stokkermans, OD, PhD, FAAO on September 23, 2024
What Determines How Long an Eye Exam Can Take?
During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor assesses your vision and eye health, taking a thorough look at your eyes inside and out. Among other things, they check your visual acuity (visual sharpness), eye pressure, eye movement, and the internal structures of your eyes.
While you can expect the same routine testing at each of your annual eye exams, the length of your appointment may be affected if you:
- Have any forms to fill out when you arrive
- Need to talk to your eye doctor about any symptoms, concerns, or general health changes
- Need to have your eyes dilated for more thorough examination
- Have a complex eye condition that requires additional evaluation
- Need a contact lens exam and fitting
- Want to shop for new glasses or prescription sunglasses in your eye care provider’s optical shop
Every patient has different eye care (and eyewear) needs, so the overall time spent at the eye doctor’s office can vary for each individua and each visit.
How Long Does It Take for an Eye Test?
During an eye exam, your eye doctor will go through a series of tests to help determine the state of your vision and overall eye health. These tests allow your doctor to determine whether you need vision correction or special care for any eye conditions present.
So, how long do eye exams take when you consider all of this? It varies, but on average, it can take between 45 and 90 minutes to complete.
What Does Your Doctor Check During an Eye Exam?
During an eye exam, your eye doctor evaluates your:
- Visual acuity (the sharpness of your vision)
- Eye movement and alignment (how your eyes move and work together as a team)
- Peripheral (side) and central vision
- Eye health, looking at the external and internal structures of your eyes
They look and test for signs of:
- Refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and/or presbyopia)
- Color blindness
- Glaucoma, cataracts, retina diseases, and other eye conditions
You’ll also discuss your family medical history with your eye doctor, as this can impact your risk for certain eye conditions and disease.
What Tests Are Included in an Eye Exam?
There are a handful of things your eye doctor will check and test for during a routine eye exam. They may also conduct or recommend additional evaluation based on your medical history and any problems you’re experiencing.
Most comprehensive eye exams begin with entrance tests to check your color vision, pupillary function, depth perception, and eye movement. These are typically followed by:
Refractive Exam
Your visual acuity (clarity of your vision) is tested during this portion of the exam. You’ll be asked to read an eye chart placed across the room from you so your doctor can understand how well you can read from a certain distance. This test also helps your doctor determine your vision prescription.
Slit-Lamp Exam
During a slit-lamp exam, your doctor uses a microscope called a slit-lamp to look at the external and internal structures of your eyes. The slit-lamp has a bright lamp on it to illuminate the outer surface of your eye as well as the eye’s internal structures.
In this exam, your eye doctor evaluates parts of the eye including:
- External structures including the conjunctiva, cornea, and sclera
- Internal structures including the pupil, retina, lens, iris, and optic nerve
Dilation Exam
During a dilation, your eye doctor will put special dilating drops in your eyes to widen the pupils. When your pupils are dilated, your doctor can see more easily into the back of each eye. This helps them check for signs of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and other diseases.
The dilating drops also paralyze the eye’s focusing muscles, which can help make your refraction more precise.
Eye Pressure Test
Different methods of tonometry can be used to assess eye pressure or intraocular pressure (IOP). Some use an air puff, while other machines have a sensor that applies soft pressure on the cornea (the round membrane on the front of the eye). This test is important because high IOP can be an early warning sign of glaucoma.
Determining Your Prescription
Your vision exam includes a refractive exam, which allows your doctor to decide what prescription you need in your glasses and contacts (if you wear them). Eyes are tested together and separately during this process.
You’ll look through a special instrument called a phoropter, which includes lenses and preset lens powers. As you look through, you’ll read a chart from across the room that has lines of different sized letters. Your doctor will ask you to read the smallest line of letters that you can make out.
During the test, each eye is covered (one at a time) and tested separately. If you need more assistance to read the chart accurately, your doctor will adjust the power of each lens that is built into the phoropter. When you feel comfortable reading the chart, each lens power that shows on the phoropter at that time will be reviewed by your doctor. Using this information, your doctor can then write your eyeglass prescription.
If you want to wear contacts, your eye doctor will need to perform a separate contact lens exam with additional testing. They’ll also need a lens fitting to determine your contact lens prescription, which includes the contact lens brand and size that fit you best.
How Long Does It Take to Get Glasses?
After your eye exam, you’ll receive a copy of your prescription(s). Once you have your eyeglass prescription, you can order glasses right away. If the frames and lenses are in stock, it should take about 1 to 2 weeks to produce them. But this timeline can vary among different manufacturers and retailers.
How Long Does It Take to Get Contacts?
Contact lenses can also be ordered as soon as you have your contact lens prescription, which is different from your glasses prescription. You need this to order contacts from any retailer.
Your contact prescription is different because your contacts sit directly on your eyes rather than a short distance in front of them. It also includes the lens brand and size that worked best for you during your contact lens fitting.
You can order contacts from your eye doctor or through an online retailer. Check with your preferred merchant about shipping and processing times, as they can vary from place to place.
Eyebuydirect has hundreds of options to choose from in eyewear. When you’re ready to order glasses with your updated prescription, we’re happy to help you during the selection process!
