kegan5

Could anyone give a run through as to what happens at an eye test in France ? With an ophthalmologist ? I understand it's different to UK tests ?

I suffer from panic/anxiety attacks and just find things a lot easier if I know what sort of things to expect

Thank you in advance

smithyandlisa

I can only tell you about the test I had. The place came highly recommended. The test lasted just under 5 minutes and cost me 48€. A complete waste of time. Please read all my other posts to know that I really enjoy life here in France, and negative posts for me are rare, but the eye test was pants! Of course that won't be everyone's experience, but since then it's been the UK for me.

L'Acajou

When I arrived 8 years ago I had to get new glasses as I had left mine on the ferry and my contact lenses were uncomfortable. I had an eye test which was free because I was buying glasses. Four years later I bought new glasses and again the optician checked that my prescription hadn't changed.
However now I need progresif lenses (varifocals?) I was told that the optician couldn't prescribe these and I had to make an appointment with a specialist ophtalmoloque. Our local one has a waiting list of one year so I had to go to Tours and only had a 6 week wait. I was quite surprised to find that the examination itself was minimal, far less thorough than I have had in the UK. Once he had given me my prescription I got my new specs at my local optician. I don't know if I had to go to the ophtalmologue because I needed progresifs or because my last eye-test was over 4 years ago and opticians will only accept prescriptions less than two or three years old. If I had realised how much of a hassle it would be, I would have had an eye test in the UK!

dmu

There's a dearth of ophtalmologues in our neck of the woods, too, woe betide if you have an emergency.
Opticians are now allowed to test your vision, but it's best to go at least once a year for a check-up at the ophtalmo's, who also checks your eye pressure (a simple puff on the eye) which may indicate diabetes or glaucoma, and sometimes does a highly disagreeable "fond d'oeil' (=funduscopy?) if he thinks it necessary.
That's the worst that can happen in the consulting room, and costs 28€ up-front if the Doctor is "conventionné"....
Fore-warned is fore-armed!

cjm

This thread has been a surprise. A family member has regular, booked, eye tests with an opthomologist. There are a number of inherited eye conditions, including glaucoma. The first visit is a shock. The queue to simply say 'I'm here' is a long one. One of the two 'receptionists' carries out the puff test, you then sit down with 15-20++ others in a semi-crocodile format. You are then called by the second receptionist for a field vision test. You sit and wait again. Then the opthomologist calls you into their room. Perhaps 30+ minutes later. Your eye history is on the big screens. They talk through what has been found, where you were before and any arising issues. Perhaps five minutes.You then go to reception and pay one of the two receptionists who seems to double as clinicians. The surgery is not open five days, we think three. It is a chaotic process, but it works. For us it is far more comprehensive than anything experienced in the UK. Perhaps we are fortunate.

Ka Ora!

Welcome to the forum, personally be it in the city or the back end of nowhere having eye tests here has pretty much been a complete waste of time. If you want a long wait book an eye test.

dennerlymum

gosh I am so surprised to read all of these posts!

Our experience of eye tests has been completely the contrary to everyone else's (except for the initial long wait!)

After years of telling opticians that my son had eye probs and being told to stop fussing; we arrived in France to have a thorough check by our opthalmo and were immediately asked why our son wasnt wearing glasses!!! Too late it turned out as he has his father's lazy eye:which needed to be corrected before he was 7

Still he got his new glasses and the change in his behaviour was amazing! Now he could see he was far less distracted and far less tired at the end of the day.

Hubby has also had far more concentrated tests on his vision, which had been written off in the uk as lost therefore why bother!

It is frustrating to have to wait and in our now town they have tried for three years to recruit another opthalmo with no success, so we had to stay with our old one; but overall French eyecare has been good to us!

L'Acajou

I have a lazy eye too (operated on at 6 years old) but having had 20 minute eye-tests in the UK I felt confident I had been properly checked. I have been quite surprised how basic the test are here, especially with the specialist, in fact his assistant did most of it and I was in and out within 5 minutes! Tests in the opticians shops have been more thorough.

kegan5

Thank You for the responses, I had a red eye (not too red) but I wasn't sure at what point do you go to see someone? So I booked an appointment in France whilst I'm here. They gave me an appointment for 3 weeks time, not too bad judging by some of the other responses. In the meantime I was getting a little more worried about my eye, like if it was something that could get worse, nothing etc etc.

So as I was walking past the same Opthamologist I had an appointment with I decided to go in and just ask them, anyway the place was almost empty only 2 people in there so she said to wait... within 15 minutes I was seen to (she simply looked into my eyes with lots of lights) and told me it was an allergy to something, gave me a prescription for eye drops and that was that.

So now my eye isn't red at all, still a few days of drops left but I'm so glad I went in, half of my problem was the worry and stress.

Also thank you to the responses, it's always so much easier knowing what to expect, the type of tests etc

dmu

Hi, if you had mentioned your red eye at the start, I could have guessed you had an allergy! I get red itchy eyes in the hay fever season, instant relief with AH drops...
Glad your stress has disappeared with the red eye!

kegan5

Thank you, I should perhaps have realised but I don't really ever suffer with allergies normally, no hayfever that I've ever noticed so it wasn't something that immediately popped into my head