What to bring to your eye appointment

Why a few things in your bag change the appointment

You have booked, which was the hard part. Now you are wondering whether to bring the old glasses in the drawer, whether your contact lens box matters, and whether anyone will ask about your blood pressure tablets. The short answer is yes to all three.

An eye exam is partly measurement and partly detective work. The American Academy of Ophthalmology lists your family history, your medicines and whether you wear corrective lenses as standard questions at the start of an exam, and Healthify NZ adds general health and family history of glaucoma and diabetes. Each item below either makes a measurement more accurate or saves you a second visit.

If you are bringing a child, the guide to preparing a child for an eye exam covers their list. If you want to know what happens once you are in the chair, read what happens at your first appointment.

The checklist

The table below is the whole list with the reason for each item. In short form, this is it.

• The glasses you wear now, including reading glasses and prescription sunglasses.
• Your contact lens box, blister strip or packaging, so the brand and fit details can be read off it.
• A list of medicines, including eye drops and supplements, and your health conditions.
• What you know about eye disease in your family: glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetes, a lazy eye or a strong prescription in childhood.
• Your Community Services Card or High Use Health Card if a child under 16 is being seen, and your Southern Cross membership details if you have them.
• A note of your symptoms and when they started, including what makes them better or worse.
• Sunglasses, and a plan for getting home if dilating drops are likely.

Your glasses and contact lenses

Bring the pair you actually wear, not the pair you think you should. The optometrist measures your current lenses with an instrument, then compares them with what your eyes need now. That difference is often the most useful number of the day: it shows how fast things are changing, which matters for a child's myopia and for an adult whose prescription has shifted suddenly.

If you have several pairs, bring them all. Reading glasses, computer glasses and prescription sunglasses each tell part of the story. An old prescription on paper helps too, but the lenses themselves are better because they can be measured directly.

Contact lens wearers: the box or blister pack carries the brand, the power, the base curve and the diameter, which is everything the optometrist needs to know what you are wearing. A photo of the packaging is fine. Whether to wear your lenses to the appointment depends on what is being checked, so ask when you book; for a new fitting, the optometrist may want to see your eyes without lenses in.

Medicines, health conditions and family history

Some medicines affect the eyes, which is why the American Academy of Ophthalmology lists them as part of the history taken at every exam. Your pharmacy can print a list in a minute, and that is easier than remembering doses in the chair. Include eye drops you already use, even over-the-counter lubricants, because what has and has not helped is useful information.

Health conditions matter the same way. Healthify NZ says an eye exam includes questions about your general health and your family's history of conditions such as glaucoma, diabetes and heart disease, and that optometrists monitor eye health for people with diabetes. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, a thyroid condition or an autoimmune condition, say so, and mention when it was diagnosed.

Family history is the item people most often leave blank. Ask your parents or siblings before the appointment whether anyone has glaucoma, macular degeneration, a detached retina, or wore strong glasses as a child. A yes changes which tests are worth doing and how often you should come back.

Cards, insurance and paperwork

If a child aged 15 or under is being seen and the family holds a Community Services Card, or the child holds a High Use Health Card, bring it. Enable New Zealand's children's spectacle subsidy is claimed through the optometrist, who submits the request and is paid directly, and NVISION administers it. The amount and the clinical rules are on Enable's page, and our child glasses subsidy guide explains how it works.

NVISION is a Southern Cross Easy Claim partner, which means a claim can be processed at the practice at the end of the appointment rather than by you afterwards. Have your membership details ready, and ask at the start of the visit what your plan covers. The insurance and funding page covers Easy Claim, the Ministry of Health contact lens subsidy and the payment methods we accept.

Two more pieces of paper. If your eye problem started with an accident, say so when you book, because Healthify NZ says most eye injuries are covered by ACC and you may be asked for the details. If you need an eyesight check for a driver licence, say that too: the fees page lists a driver licence screening separately, and the practice can tell you what paperwork to bring.

Symptoms, sunglasses and a way home

Write your symptoms down before you come. When did the blur start, is it one eye or both, is it worse at night or after screens, does it come and go. Patients forget half of this in the chair, and the timing is often the clue. If you have noticed floaters or flashes, note the date they began.

Bring sunglasses. If the optometrist uses dilating drops, the American Academy of Ophthalmology says the effects last a few to several hours, close focus goes blurry, bright light feels harsh, and it may not be safe to drive yourself. Healthify NZ says optometrists usually advise not driving for a few hours. Arrange a lift, plan to wait in the centre, or ask when you book whether dilation is likely so you can plan around it.

The practice is on Level 1, Suite 104 of the Apollo Health & Wellness Centre, 119 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, just off the motorway near Albany, with easy on-site parking. The contact page has a map.

When this practice is the wrong place

No checklist applies if the problem is an emergency. Healthify NZ says to call 111 or get medical care immediately for sudden loss of vision, a strong chemical in the eye, anything that has pierced the eye, or blurred or lost vision after an injury. A shadow or curtain across your sight, new flashes with a sudden shower of floaters, or a red and painful eye with light sensitivity and nausea also needs same-day care, through an optometrist, your GP or the emergency department rather than a routine booking.

For a chemical splash, flush the eye with clean, cool running water for at least 15 minutes, then go to the nearest emergency department and take the container or a photo of its label. Healthline on 0800 611 116 is free and open 24 hours a day if you are unsure. Our eye examinations page describes the routine exam for everything slower.