Bring the essentials: your current glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses (with your case and solution); a list of your medications, supplements, and eye drops; your provincial health card and any insurance details; your family eye-health history and your family doctor's name; and a few notes on questions or symptoms you want to raise. Bring your current glasses so your optometrist can read the prescription in your existing lenses and compare it to your new results.
Key Takeaways
- Bring every pair of glasses, sunglasses, and contacts you have worn since your last exam.
- Pack a full list of your medications, supplements, and eye drops.
- Carry your provincial health card plus any extended or work benefits details.
- Plan for possible dilation by bringing sunglasses and considering a ride home.
- Treat your exam as a whole-health check, not only a vision test.
Your Eye Exam Checklist: 6 Things to Bring
Knowing what to bring to an eye exam takes the guesswork out of your visit, and each item below helps your optometrist give you clear, personalized answers.
1) Your Current Glasses, Sunglasses and Contact Lenses
Pack everything you have worn since your last exam, including reading glasses, prescription sunglasses, and daily contacts. Contact lens wearers should bring their case and solution, since your optometrist will likely ask you to remove your lenses during the exam.
Have any previous written prescriptions in a drawer? Bring those too. Together, these give your optometrist a complete picture of how you have been seeing.
2) A List of Your Medications and Supplements
Write down every prescription drug, over-the-counter medication, supplement, and eye drop you take, along with the dosage and frequency. Many medications carry side effects that can affect your eyes and vision, so a complete list helps your optometrist connect your overall health to what they see during the exam.
3) Your Health Card and Insurance Information
Coverage depends on your age and the province you live in, so bring your provincial health card to every appointment. If you have extended or workplace benefits, bring those details as well, since they may add coverage. Some out-of-pocket costs can still apply, and the exact cost varies by clinic and province.
As Canada's largest eye care provider with more than 300 locations, FYidoctors offers direct billing at many clinics, which makes sorting out coverage easier for busy families.
4) Your Family Eye-Health History and Family Doctor
Note any family history of eye disease or conditions such as glaucoma or diabetes, since these details help your optometrist assess your risk. Bring your family doctor's name, too.
Optometrists work as part of your overall health team, and with your consent they can share results with your physician to keep your care coordinated.
5) Your Questions, Symptoms and a Note About Dilation
Before your visit, list any vision changes or symptoms you want to raise, from headaches to trouble reading small print, because these are easy to forget in the moment. If your optometrist dilates your pupils, your near vision may be blurry and your eyes may feel sensitive to light for a few hours.
Pack sunglasses and consider arranging a ride home.
6) Your Time and a Plan for After the Appointment
Plan for possible dilation by bringing sunglasses and considering a ride home, since your vision may be blurry and your eyes may feel sensitive to light for a few hours.
Can I Bring My Current Glasses to the Eye Exam? Yes — Here's Why It Helps
Yes, you can and should bring your current glasses to the eye exam for evaluation. Your existing eyewear gives your optometrist real, everyday information that a fresh set of tests alone cannot.
FAQ
Do I need to bring anything to an eye exam?
Can I bring my current glasses to the eye exam for evaluation?
Should I wear my glasses or contacts during the exam, or just bring them?
What should you not do before an eye exam?
Will my eyes be dilated, and can I drive afterward?
Do I still need to bring my glasses if I usually wear contacts?
How often should I get an eye exam?