At the optician

Our host Myra is an optometric assistant. She took us to work to show us some of the tests that are done in an eye exam. Here, she checks Hans' eyes with an auto-refractor to see if he needs a prescription for eyeglasses.

 Then she took photos of the inside of Hans' eyes with a retinal camera. Paul got to see what it looks like from Myra's side of the instrument.

The OCT gives the optometrist an in-depth look at the inside structures of the eye. We like the fact the instrument is made by Zeiss, a German company.

This is one of the ways to test for colour deficiency. What number do you see? I see 97 and 45.

This is another version of the colour deficiency test. I put all the disks in the correct order, so we know I have normal colour vision.

This is a test to check for binocular vision, or the ability to see 3D. You have to wear special glasses for the test, but they were too big for me to wear.

The phoropter is the instrument that helps the optometrist determine a patient's eyeglass prescription. Luckily I don't need eyeglasses!

 Look at all the trial lenses that the optometrist uses to test different eyeglass powers in front of patients' eyes.

 This instrument is used for the slit lamp exam where the optometrist checks for any signs of eye disease or injury. Everything looks good for Hans!

 Prisms like this are used to evaluate eyes that don't point straight ahead. But Myra showed Paul a neat optical trick that cut off Hans' head

 Paul thought the model of the eye was pretty interesting and went in for a closer look.

 We learned how to tell if a contact lens is inside out.

While Myra worked, we read a textbook about eyecare. It was very interesting to learn about eye exams. Hans' eye exam is done. Paul will get his eyes checked later on today, and we will see if he needs eyeglasses.