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Vision

Simple eye health check

Lesson: 3 of 4
Topic: 3 of 5
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Question

Why is it important to check if a person’s eye is healthy as part of a vision screen for vision assistive products?

Click to see answer

Eye health problems always need to be assessed and treated before the person is provided assistive products.

Hands being washed under a tap

Note: Always wash your hands with soap and dry them before and after an eye health check. Avoid touching the person’s eyes.

A service provider leans down to look at a man’s eyes from an arms distance away.

Carrying out a simple eye health check

First, look at each eye for signs of an eye health problem.

A service provider shines a pen torch in a man’s eyes at a 45 degree angle.

Then, use a small torch so that you can see the eye more clearly.

Shine the torch at a 45 degree angle from the side of the person’s head and move the torch across the eye.

Avoid shining the torch for longer than a few seconds into the person’s eye.

Look for:

  • Redness
  • Swelling
  • Lumps, bumps or growths on or near the eye
  • Discharge
  • Centre of the eye (pupil) is milky coloured, or cloudy
  • Any other signs that the eye is not healthy.

Observe if the pupil gets smaller when light is shined on the eye. If not, this is a sign of an eye health problem.

You may want to go back to Lesson one to remind yourself of what these signs may look like.

If you observe any signs of an unhealthy eye, refer the person to an eye health professional.

Ask the person:

Do you have diabetes?

If yes, check if they have seen an eye health professional to assess the health of their eyes. If they have not, refer them to an eye health professional.

Question

Why is it important to find out if a person has diabetes?

Click to see answer

Diabetes can cause loss of vision. This can be prevented if problems are identified early and treated.

Ask the person:

Do you have any eye pain or discomfort?

For example:

  • Pain that has lasted a while or is sudden
  • Discomfort such as itchy eyes, weepy eyes or dry eyes

If yes, refer them to an eye health professional for further assessment.

Record the results of the eye check on the eye health and vision screen form.

Note: This simple eye health check may not pick up all possible problems.

For this reason, if you or the person have any concerns, refer to a doctor for a second opinion.