Diagnosis of Long-sightedness

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It is very important that you visit your optician every two years, particularly if you are over the age of 40. Regular eye check-ups will identify long-sightedness early on so that corrective treatment can be administered.

When you have an eye test, the optician will check:

the sharpness of your distance vision,
your ability to focus on near objects, and
check for any eye conditions or physical abnormalities.

A simple test that involves reading letters from a chart is used to test your sight. The letters become progressively smaller on each line of the chart. If you have taken the test before and have previously been prescribed glasses or contact lenses, then your optician may want you to take the test while wearing your glasses or contact lenses.

If you can only read the top line of the eye chart, you may be eligible to register as blind or partially sighted. You will need to be referred by your GP or optician to a hospital eye doctor who will carry out further tests and write to you local social services department confirming that you have been diagnosed as blind or partially-sighted. You may also be registered as blind or partially-sighted if you can read the first three lines of the chart but have a very restricted field of vision.

Your optician will also look for signs of eye conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, by shining a light into your eyes to see how well they react to light.