Optometry

Our optometrists in Dubai work inside the eye department at Mediclinic City Hospital. A lens fitting, a specialist opinion and low vision rehabilitation all sit in that same department. We run the rehabilitation alongside Foresight, a charity based in Dubai.

What is optometry?

Optometry is the non-medical side of eye care: testing sight, then prescribing the glasses or contact lenses that put it right. The same examination looks for signs of eye disease and for early clues to general health problems. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who treats eye disease and carries out surgery on the eye. Much of this work is long term, since short sight can keep progressing, lens wear needs checking and repeat tests show what's changed.

When should you book an eye test?

Book an eye test if you notice:

• Blurred vision, close up or far away
• Headaches or tired eyes after reading or screen work
• Holding a book or phone further away to read it
• Glare or halos around lights at night
• Sore or gritty eyes that keep coming back
• A child who cannot read the board at school

Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes is an emergency: seek emergency care straight away.

Glaucoma develops slowly over many years and usually without warning signs, so a routine eye test is how most people find out they've got it. Anyone living with diabetes is asked back more often, and so is anyone whose close family has glaucoma. Your optometrist will tell you when you're due back, going on your age, your eyes and your general health.

What to expect

Your first appointment starts with questions about what you've noticed and how you use your eyes day to day. The optometrist measures how clearly you read a chart at different distances, then tries lenses until the picture sharpens. They'll look inside the eye too, and may check the pressure inside it. Colour vision and how your eyes work together can be checked as well.

Most people leave with a prescription, and the optometrist talks through whether spectacles or contact lenses suit how you live. A prescription can correct short sight, long sight and astigmatism. If you choose lenses, the optometrist shows you how to handle them and asks you back to check the fit and the health of your eye. Anything that needs medical treatment goes to an eye doctor.

Optometry at Mediclinic

Our contact lens clinic at Mediclinic City Hospital is run by optometrists. It fits soft, rigid and hybrid lenses, among other types. Some of them work overnight, correcting short sight while you sleep. In Deira, we fit scleral lenses and treat refractive errors.

You can book an eye examination at our Dubai clinics and leave with a spectacle or contact lens prescription. When sight stays below normal after treatment, our low vision service starts with a full assessment of what you can still see. Aids include magnifiers and telescopes that bring a bus number into focus at a distance. Diagnosing and treating eye conditions is our ophthalmologists' work.