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When you visit the Aiello Eye Institute for an eye exam, you will meet with a highly experienced optometrist in our Yuma, AZ practice. Your doctor will perform an evaluation of your visual acuity - or how you see - and the overall health of your eyes. It is easy and painless. Comprehensive examination and diagnostic testing takes only a couple of hours and should be a regular part of your preventive healthcare routine. Just two hours of periodic eye maintenance could prevent serious damage or loss of vision.
The Aiello Eye Institute in Yuma, Arizona, provides eye exam services to diagnose and address vision problems, eye diseases, color blindness, and more. Request an appointment or call (928) 782-1980 to speak with one of our eye care professionals.
While people with certain eye conditions or a family history of specific eye disorders may require more frequent exams or screening at an earlier age, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends examinations in accordance to the following guidelines:
People at a higher risk for eye disease that fall outside of the above guidelines and should be examined more frequently. Individuals who should receive an eye exam annually or more often may include:
All of the eye care providers at the Aiello Eye Institute have undergone extensive training in both the medical and surgical aspects of eye health and can perform thorough and comprehensive eye exams. It is important, however, to know what the difference is between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist.
Dr. Aiello is a medical doctor (M.D.) who specializes in the medical and surgical care of the eyes as well as the prevention of eye disease. In order to practice medicine and surgery, ophthalmologists must complete many years of medical school and then receive special education and training in the field of ophthalmology following medical school before obtaining a license by a state regulatory board.
An optometrist (O.D.) is a primary eye care provider who examines, diagnoses, treats and manages diseases and disorders of the eye. In accordance with state law, O.D.'s can prescribe medications and fit/dispense eye glasses and contact lenses. While optometrists cannot perform surgery, they undergo specialized training in order to work closely with Dr. Aiello in the management of advanced eye pathology and surgical care, both pre- and post-operatively.
The first time you are seen by a provider at the Aiello Eye Institute you will be asked about both your personal and family health history, so come prepared. You will need to bring information about what medications you take and/or are allergic to and information about previous health issues or surgeries as well as any history of eye problems in your family.
All of this information allows our eye care providers to more accurately assess whether or not you may be at risk for future eye disease. The more information you provide, the better he or she can help you to develop a plan for prevention. Our doctors will be able to tell you how the underlying health issues you reveal to our technicians may or may not affect your vision.
Before you see the doctor, you may be given eye drops to dilate your pupils. This is done so that the doctor can use our state-of-the-art eye equipment to look into the back part of your eyes. It is not uncommon for this to take 30 minutes or longer so please be patient. Next, you will be screened by a highly-trained technician who will use some of the information you provide to determine what diagnostic testing will be necessary to assist the doctor in making a final diagnosis. This diagnostic testing may be accomplished before you see the doctor so that he or she can discuss the results with you during your visit on the same day. If it is determined by the doctor that a diagnostic test was performed but was not necessary, you will not be charged.
During your exam with the eye care provider he or she will review some of the information you provided to the technician. He or she will examine both the exterior and interior elements of both eyes. Using a slit lamp (a microscope combined with a high-intensity light source specifically designed for eye exams), the doctor will look at the inside of your eye, including the back portion or retina. This type of exam can reveal disease such as cataracts, corneal injuries, dry eyes, macular degeneration, retinal detachments and many more. The doctor will most likely measure the eye's pressure with a device called a tonometer. This test allows the doctor to determine whether or not you may be at risk for glaucoma. The final exam done by the doctor is usually a dilated fundus exam. The doctor wears an instrument on his head, called an indirect ophthalmoscope, and uses a hand held lens to focus light emitted from the ophthalmoscope into your eye. This allows the doctor to view the entire retina. Many disease processes can be detected during this exam.
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