Eye test equipment

This entry is not a review, but rather a product interaction experience that I have just encountered at the optician.

I was due for both a contact lens check-up and a full eye test and had arranged to have both today (at SpecSavers – they are the optician that I have used for a bout 3 years).

The thing that made this visit of note was the massive technological change in eye testing that seems to have happened between today and my last visit about two years ago.

In the past I have had the various tests from glaucoma to visual acuity and the whole process took a good 30 to 45 minutes. The greater part of this seemed to involve placing a very thick and ugly glasses’ frame on me and then alternating different lenses to see if my eye sight was helped or hindered at each change.

Today things were different. Instead of the odd looking frame and numerous lens changes, a strange double disk machine descended from the ceiling with too small apertures in it. The two large plastic disks were then pulled closer together so that the apertures (one at the inside edge of each disk) lined up with my eyes and “hey presto”, after a second of furious clicking sounds, I was seeing perfectly.

It would seem that these disks contained all of the various lens options that would normally be changed manually and that, either automatically or by entering my details, the optician was able to select my correct prescription in a second.

The process was very impressive as were a couple of other tests where, after looking through a view finder, the equipment automatically focused itself to give me a view of a balloon above a road! I am sure that this must mean something, but I did not dare to ask.

As ever there was the glaucoma test, in which puff of air are blown directly into the eyes, and these were as unpleasant as ever.

To sum the experience up, both the eye test and separate contact lens test, along with a good 6 or 7 minutes waiting/talking time were completed in 45 minutes. Very impressive.