Your appointment, step by step
An eye examination usually takes between thirty minutes and an hour, dilation included. Here is what happens, in order, so that nothing takes you by surprise on the day.
When you arrive
Check in at reception a few minutes before your time: your file is opened or updated, and then you wait in the waiting room. Allow plenty of time in your day, since dilation — where it is needed — makes the visit longer. Bringing these saves everyone time:
- Your Carte Vitale
- Proof of C2S entitlement, if you have it
- Your glasses, even old ones
- Your most recent glasses or contact lens prescription
- Your GP’s referral letter, if you were referred
- A list of your current medication, eye drops included
The preliminary measurements
An orthoptist sees you first. They measure your visual acuity, your refraction — that is, the correction you need — and the pressure inside the eye. Depending on why you have come, they will also carry out the imaging: OCT, visual field, topography. None of it hurts, and most of it never touches the eye.
Dilating the pupil
To examine the retina and the optic nerve properly, the pupil often has to be enlarged with eye drops. They take effect in about twenty minutes and wear off over three to six hours. During that time close-up vision is blurred and light is dazzling — harmless and temporary, but worth planning around.
- Do not drive after dilation: come with someone, or by public transport
- Bring sunglasses for the journey home
- Do not plan screen work or anything requiring precision straight afterwards
- Tell us when booking if you absolutely must drive
The examination itself
The ophthalmologist reviews all the measurements, examines the surface of your eyes at the slit lamp, then the back of the eye, and explains what they can see. This is the moment for your questions: write them down before you come, because they are easy to forget once you are in the chair.
At the end of the consultation
You leave with, as the case may be, a prescription for glasses or contact lenses, a treatment, a request for further tests, a referral to a colleague, or simply a date for a follow-up. A report goes to your GP whenever that helps your care. If surgery is being considered, it is discussed at a dedicated consultation — nothing is decided in a rush.
This page gives general information and is not a substitute for a consultation. Only an examination can establish a diagnosis and tailor treatment to your situation.
A question?
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