What to Expect at Your First Eye Exam at Spadina Optometry

What to bring

• Health card — if you are under 20, over 65, or have a qualifying medical condition covered by OHIP
• Insurance card or a screenshot of your plan details — share these in advance if you can so our team can prepare
• Current glasses — even if you think your prescription is fine
• Contact lens details — brand name, power, and packaging if you have it
• Medication list — if not already included in your intake form

If you are unsure whether OHIP covers your visit, see OHIP eligibility and coverage.

The intake form — and why it matters

Before your appointment, we ask you to fill out an online intake form. You can complete it from your phone or computer.

The form covers:

• Health history — current and past medical conditions, medications, supplements, allergies, and family history of eye or systemic conditions
• How you use your eyes — the type of work you do, how much time you spend on screens or with documents, whether you work in physically demanding or hazardous environments
• Activities and hobbies — sports, outdoor activities, and anything that places specific demands on your vision
• Current eyewear — glasses, contact lenses, or both, and what is or is not working for you

This is not paperwork for the sake of paperwork. Your optometrist reads it before walking into the room. It shapes the exam — which tests are prioritized, which questions get asked, and what recommendations make sense for your life, not just your prescription.

For example, a patient who spends eight hours a day on screens has different needs than someone who works outdoors. A patient who skis on weekends might benefit from distance-only contact lenses for sport and separate readers for close-up tasks off the hill. We cannot make those recommendations without knowing how you use your eyes.

Consent and privacy

The intake form includes questions about consent and communication preferences. These are required by:

• PHIPA (Personal Health Information Protection Act) — Ontario’s health privacy law, which governs how we collect, use, and share your personal health information
• CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation) — which requires your consent before we send appointment reminders or other electronic communications
• The College of Optometrists of Ontario — our regulatory body, which sets standards for record-keeping and patient consent

These questions are standard across regulated health care in Ontario. They exist to protect your rights as a patient.

What happens during the exam

1. Your concerns first. Your optometrist reviews your intake form and asks about anything you have noticed — changes in vision, discomfort, headaches, dryness, or anything else on your mind.

2. Vision and refraction. We measure how you see at distance and near, and determine whether your prescription needs updating.

3. Eye health assessment. We examine the front and back of the eye, checking for signs of conditions that may not cause symptoms yet — including glaucoma, cataracts, macular changes, and signs of systemic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.

4. Imaging and additional testing. Based on your history and what we observe, we may recommend imaging such as retinal photography or OCT scans. Fees for additional testing are explained before anything is done. See imaging and diagnostics for more detail.

5. Explanation and plan. You leave knowing what we found, what it means, and what comes next — whether that is a new prescription, a follow-up, a referral, or simply confirmation that everything looks good.

Will my eyes be dilated?

Dilation is not automatic. It depends on your health history, symptoms, and what your optometrist observes during the exam.

When it is recommended, there is a reason for it. Dilating drops temporarily widen your pupil so your optometrist can examine the peripheral retina and optic nerve — the areas at the very back and edges of the eye that are difficult to see through a normal-sized pupil and that retinal photos do not fully reach. A dilated view is how we check for retinal tears, detachments, and early diabetic or macular changes before they ever affect your vision. We explain what we are looking for and what to expect before proceeding.

Why dilation means waiting

If you are dilated, there is a pause between the drops going in and the rest of the exam. It typically takes 15 to 30 minutes for dilating drops to take effect.

That pause is biology, not scheduling. The drops work by relaxing the muscle that constricts your pupil, and that muscle responds at its own pace — no clinic can shorten it, and one that examined you before the drops had worked would be looking through a pupil still too small to show the periphery.

It is worth saying plainly, because a wait in a waiting room reads like inefficiency and this one is the opposite: the wait is what makes the peripheral view possible. Retinal tears and detachments start at the edges. A view that stops short of the edges is the one that misses them.

If there is a chance you may be dilated:

• Bring sunglasses
• Allow for the 15 to 30 minutes the drops need, plus the exam itself
• Avoid scheduling anything immediately after that requires sharp near vision
• Dilation typically wears off within a few hours

After the exam

If a prescription is needed, we review it with you and explain any changes. You are welcome to browse our optical and ask questions — there is no pressure to purchase on the spot.

Your prescription, imaging results, and visit notes are available through our patient portal — log in any time and download them yourself. If you need them sent directly to another provider, ask us and we will arrange it.

Related pages

• Fees and pricing
• OHIP eligibility and coverage
• Imaging and eye health
• How often should you get an eye exam?
• Adult eye exam — what’s included
• Information for patients