HEALTH

Understanding Your Eye Report

What does it mean?

A patient, left, and Capt. Nikki Beadle, an optometrist with the 1st Special Operations Medical Group, perform a slit lamp examination at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Jan. 9, 2017. A slit lamp is used to discover eye problems, such as glaucoma, early on and to provide guidance for future treatment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Dennis Spain)

Suppose you recently had an eye examination because your vision has gotten worse. The doctor explained your eye condition, but that was several weeks ago, and you’ve slept since then. Now your children want to know what the doctor diagnosed. This article will explain what the parts of an eye report are and what certain results mean. I will start by naming the usual sections seen in an eye report.

The Parts of an Eye Report

Presenting Complaint or Condition: This is the reason why the patient came to see the doctor on that date.

Brief History: This lists the patient’s most prominent medical conditions as they relate to eye health. Sometimes a condition not directly related to vision will be listed if it is affecting vision. For example, diabetes is a malfunction of the pancreas, not of the eyes, but if it is causing eye problems, the doctor will mention it as well as the patient’s age at onset.

Review of Systems: The doctor’s assessment of how every part of the patient’s body functions, from the mind, to the muscles, bones, nerves, digestion, and so forth. Not all eye reports contain this section.

Visual Acuities (VA): A measurement of how well the patient can see. This is typically given in…