Vision symptoms

If you are experiencing vision problems but aren't sure you have been able to successfully convey them to your eye doctor, or aren't sure the doctor understands the severity or impact of the symptoms, you need to seek the best validated methods of assessing your symptoms. This should include both subjective and objective evaluations and self-reported symptoms.

1. Fraenkel Vision Survey (click here to download PDF): Download, print and complete this survey and take it to your doctor (ask him to add it to your file). This survey will help assess the impact of your vision symptoms on practical daily tasks, including things like night driving.

2. Request that your doctor perform (or refer you for, if s/he does not have the appropriate equipment) wavefront aberrometry. Wavefront aberrometry measures imperfections in your eyes including those associated with vision quality defects such as night vision disturbances, ghosting and poor contrast sensitivity.

3. Request that your doctor perform corneal topography, particularly if it has not already been performed after your surgery. Topography can also help identify reasons for poor vision quality.

4. Request a refraction and find out your exact prescription. Even if you do not choose to wear glasses, you need to know whether you have any refractive error that is not being corrected at present.

Dry eye symptoms and pain

If you are experiencing significant eye discomfort or pain, or extreme sensitivity to light, and do not feel you are receiving adequate treatment, here are some steps you can take to better document the problems:

1. Ocular Surface Disease Index (click here to download PDF): Download, print and complete this survey. It is an excellent and well-validated survey of dry eye symptoms which will rank the overall severity of your condition.

2. Request a Schirmer's test: This is a somewhat controversial test as there is no standard protocol for performing it, however, it is the most frequently performed test for aqueous deficient dry eye. It may not always identify patients with dry eye but it will generally not falsely identify someone as being aqueous deficient.

3. Request a Tear Break-Up Time test. This is a test to determine the stability of your tear film. Many patients who have enough tears still have dry eye symptoms because their tears are lipid deficient and so they evaporate too rapidly.