Dr. Belill will assess the internal and external health of the eyes through use of a slit lamp,

or biomiscroscope. This instrument magnifies the structures of the eye in order to evaluate

for signs of infection or disease.

Dilating drops may be used to increase the size of the pupil, providing a larger window

through which to view the internal structures of the eye. This allows Dr. Belill to assess:

health of the optic nerve, condition of the central(macula) and peripheral retinal areas, and

health of the retinal blood vessels. 

In addition, Dr. Belill utilizes the EyeRes 2000 system to provide highly effective patient

education. This is done by instant medical image documentation of disease and its

progress under therapy. Any additional people in the exam room will be able to watch a

live video feed of the microsope views to follow along with what Dr. Belill is evaluating.

This instrument is called an autorefractor. It uses a computer to measure the

amount of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism in one reading.

This is achieved by measuring how light is changed as it enters a person's eye.

No feedback is required from the patient during this process. The results Dr. Belill

a good starting point regarding your visual condition. This test must be performed

yearly since the values can change due to growth, disease, degeneration, and

stress.


Refraction is a test to determine your exact prescription. As you view the eye chart,

Dr. Belill will place an instrument called a phoropter in front of your eyes. To begin,

the phoropter will be calibrated with the lens power results from the autorefractor

reading. You will have the opportunity to select the clearest lenses among several

choices. Your power will be fine-tuned throughout this process and the end result

will determine the level of farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism, and/or

presbyopia to be used in your eyeglasses.


The combination of computerized technology along with standard lens selection

through a phoropter allows your eyeglass prescription to be as precise as

possible to provide maximum clarity.


In some cases, a technique called retinoscopy may be used to determine an

eyeglass prescription. For this test, the patient focuses on a target while light is

shined into the eyes. Dr. Belill will observe how light reflects off the eye in order

to arrive at an estimated prescription. No feedback is required from the patient

during this process. This test is particularly helpful in children and non-verbal

patients.

Eye muscle coordination evaluation, or the cover test, aids in determining the

presence of strabismus or amblyopia. Strabismus, a physical problem with

the muscles that control the eye, prevents the eyes from focusing on the

same object. As one eye focuses on an object, the other eye may move out,

in, up, or down. The direction that the eye moves will point to the problematic

muscle. Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is a visual problem. This often

results from trauma, an uncorrected near or farsightedness, or strabismus. If

left uncorrected, vision will not develop properly and the brain may eventually

ignore the image from the amblyopic eye.

There are color recepetors in the eye that contain pigments for red, blue, and

green. These work together to create a variety of colors. If one or more of these

color receptors is lacking the pigment or functioning abnormally, a color

deficiency may result.

The Ishihara Plates are used to test color vision. This test involves idenitfying a

number or figure contained within a background of dots of another color. This

test determines your ability to identify and distinguish colors.

Total or true color blindness is a complete lack of color perception and is very

rare. Color deficiences are a weakness of color perception. Red and green are

most common. Color vision abnormalities are most commonly hereditary.

However, it can result from problems affecting the optic nerve or retina.

Because color deficiency is carried on the X gene, it is primarily seen in males.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is one of the leading causes of vision loss in the

United States. Hypertension can affect anyone at any age, and similar to glaucoma - has no early

symptoms. According to the American Heart Association, one in three adults has high blood

pressure. Since high blood pressure can cause permanent vision loss without any signs of pain or

discomfort, this test must be performed annually as part of a comprehensive preventative eye

health exam.

The GDx nerve fiber layer screening takes a computerized scan of each eye to

measure any damage to your optic nerves. This helps Dr. Belill diagnosis glaucoma

years earlier than would be detected by measureing eye pressure alone. Your eye

pressure will still be assessed, but not by using the "puff-of-air" test. The GDx is the

most state-of-the-art instrument in glaucoma diagnosis available today. This test

must be performed annually because glaucoma has no early symptoms, can cause

blindness, and can occur in anyone at any age.

For additional information about glaucoma CLICK HERE.

This instrument is called a Visual Field, which is the most state of the art medical eye testing

available. Dr. Belill has invested in this sophisticated computer to provide the finest

PREVENTIVE EYE HEALTH CARE. Dr. Belill's interpretation of the data from this instrument can

detect more eye diseases than any instrument in our office. The findings from this test

enable Dr. Belill to determine if there is any retinal disease and if there is any disease

process behind the eye all the way to the back of the brain. This test must be done every year

since the conditions that he is looking for can develop at any age and at any time.

Taking yearly colored digital photos of the inside of the eye is much like a dentist taking x-rays of the mouth annually. These

photos document the internal health of the eye and allow for accurate and specific comparisons from year-to-year. This would

assist Dr. Belill in detecting early or subtle eye health changes so that treatment may be instituted to preserve your sight.

Patients may exhibit corneal damage, disease and degeneration.
                       
These changes may be caused by aging, trauma, or genetic conditions.

A corneal topographer is a unique computer measures over 8,000 points on the cornea. This

sophisticated mapping of the front of the eye gives Dr. Belill necessary information to

diagnose corneal disease and determine the best treatment plan that will improve vision and

ocular comfort.