Eye Care
What's in a comprehensive eye exam?
Your eyes deserve more than a quick vision check. Our exams go beyond determining a prescription — we assess eye health, screen for silent conditions like glaucoma and diabetic eye disease, and sometimes catch early signs of systemic issues like diabetes and high blood pressure.
Duration
45 – 60 min
OHIP
Covered for many
Performed by
Licensed optometrists
Billing
Direct to most insurers
The Distinction
Not a vision screening
Vision screenings — the kind done at school, at a pharmacy, or during a senior driver's licence renewal — check whether you can read letters on a chart. Useful for flagging obvious vision problems. Not designed to catch anything else.
A comprehensive exam is a full medical assessment by a licensed Ontario optometrist. Many serious conditions — glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, early macular degeneration — develop silently without noticeable symptoms. By the time you notice a change in your vision, damage may already be done.
Your eyes are also one of the few places a clinician can directly see blood vessels. That is why a thorough exam sometimes catches systemic issues like diabetes or high blood pressure before any other symptoms appear — and why the Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends regular exams even when your vision feels fine.
Scope
What a thorough exam covers
An exam has three parts: measuring your current vision, screening for disease, and reading the eye as a window to your overall health.
What we measure
- Current glasses or contact lens prescription
- How your two eyes coordinate — alignment, convergence, focus flexibility
- Eye pressure, measured without drops
- Visual acuity at distance and near
What we screen for
- Glaucoma — often silent until significant damage has occurred
- Cataracts — common with age, treatable when detected
- Macular degeneration
- Diabetic retinopathy and other retinal changes
- Dry eye and ocular surface disease
What we sometimes catch
- Early signs of diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Other systemic conditions — the eye is one of the few places we can see blood vessels directly
Instruments
Equipment that does the work
The difference between an exam that catches problems early and one that misses them often comes down to what is being used to look.
Retinal photography
Wide-field imaging of the back of the eye so changes can be tracked over time, visit after visit.
Non-contact tonometry
Eye-pressure measurement without eye drops. Fast, painless, and a key part of glaucoma screening.
Slit-lamp biomicroscopy
A high-magnification look at the front of the eye — cornea, iris, lens — to catch dry eye, cataract, and more.
Cadence
How often should you have one?
A general guide. Your optometrist may suggest a different schedule based on your prescription, risk factors, or existing conditions.
| Age | Recommended Frequency | Coverage Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Under 19 | Annually | OHIP covers one exam every 12 months |
| 20 – 39 | Every 1–2 years | Private pay or insurance; sooner with risk factors |
| 40 – 64 | Every 1–2 years | Private pay or insurance; annually if high-risk |
| 65+ | Every 12–18 months | OHIP-covered; exact interval depends on pre-existing eye conditions |
If You Are 65 or Older
Vision changes that are normal with age
Per Health Canada, normal changes in vision with age may include:
- Difficulty reading small print or seeing in dim light
- Slower adjustment between light and dark
- Increased sensitivity to glare
- Reduced depth perception, making it harder to judge distances
- Decreased contrast or colour sensitivity
- Dry, irritated, or watery eyes
Even mild changes can affect everyday activities such as reading, driving (especially at night), or safely navigating stairs. Regular exams help us distinguish normal aging from conditions like cataracts, macular degeneration, or glaucoma.
OHIP Coverage
Your eye exam may be free
OHIP fully covers one comprehensive eye exam every 12 months for children 19 and under. Seniors 65 and older are covered every 12 to 18 months depending on pre-existing conditions. Patients of any age with medical conditions like diabetes, glaucoma, or retinal disease are also covered.
Adults aged 20 to 64 without a covered condition pay privately — though most extended health plans reimburse a portion.
What Our Patients Say
From our patients
Before You Come In
What to bring
A little preparation makes the visit more useful.
- Current glasses and contact lenses (including prescriptions if you have them)
- OHIP card (if OHIP-covered) and extended health insurance details
- A list of medications you are currently taking
- A short list of vision concerns — blurry vision, headaches, eye strain, flashes or floaters
- Name and contact of your family doctor or specialist if relevant
Questions
Frequently asked
Ready?
Book your exam
Our Markham clinic runs comprehensive exams by appointment. Most visits take 45 to 60 minutes.
Book an Exam