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My Visit

This section explains what you can expect at your appointment.
It will cover why you need to have the drops, tests and investigations, and what arrangements to make before you come.

Before you arrive 

You will receive a text message reminder confirming your appointment time the day before your appointment. Keep in mind that we are on the Queensland side of the border and your appointment will be Queensland time.
Please ensure you have a current referral. You can call the clinic to confirm whether your referral is current or not.

It is likely that you will have your pupils dilated for the assessment. Dilating the pupils will blur the vision and you may not be able to see well enough to pass the driving requirements until the drops have worn off, which usually takes about 3 to 4 hours. With this in mind, it is recommended you have someone to drive you home from your appointment.

What to bring
New Patient Registration Form
[MY VISIT]

What To Bring

Click on each item for more detail on what to bring to your appointment.
A referral

It is very likely that you have been referred to one of our eye specialists by an optometrist, general practitioner or other specialist. You will need to bring this referral with you to the appointment. It contains the reason for the referral and without it we may not adequately address the referrer’s concerns when we send a report back to them.
You will also need this referral in order to claim the Medicare rebate for the consultation.

A referral is not essential, but strongly advised. It is possible to contact us directly in order to make an appointment, without getting a referral. However, you will not receive any rebate for this consultation, or any subsequent consultation or surgery relating to this specific complaint, if you were not referred.

Your glasses or contact lenses

Everyone will have a vision test before they see the ophthalmologist.
Your vision may be tested 3 times.
Once without glasses, once with glasses and once while looking through a pinhole (without glasses).
When you look at a vision chart, which is 6 meters away, we are testing your distance vision. The amount of focus that you need to see this chart is the same as you need to see the moon.

Without glasses

If you can’t see the chart very well it may be because you are near sighted (which means that you can only see things clearly when they are near to you.) On the other hand, you may be very far sighted (in which case you can’t see anything near very clearly without glasses). You may also have something called astigmatism. This means that the very front part of the eye, called the cornea, may not be perfectly spherical. It may be a bit oval, which results in distortion.

With glasses

If you have a pair of distance glasses, you may read quite a bit further down the chart than you could without the glasses. These glasses correct for the problems that have been outlined in the previous paragraph.

With the pinhole

If your vision is poor and you have never owned glasses, it may be that you need some. In this case your vision will improve when you look through a pinhole.

A list of medication that you are taking

Please bring a current list of the medications you are taking, including all prescription medication, puffers, eye drops and vitamins and supplements.  Please also bring a list of any known allergies you have to medications

A list of previous medical problems and operations

A list of medical problems and previous operations may be important in helping us with the diagnosis and management of your condition. Please bring a list along in case it has not been included in the referral.

A list of previous eye problems and treatments

You may have been treated for an eye condition by another ophthalmologist. This is quite common, particularly if you have relocated, and it is important that we have as much of the information about your previous treatment as possible. Your previous ophthalmologist is usually happy to provide you with this information if you request it.

Your Medicare, DVA or health insurance card

This information ensures that you will get appropriately reimbursed for the medical service that you have received. If you do not have access to Medicare (tourists or temporary residents) you may still be seen and receive treatment, like anyone else. However, you will not receive reimbursement for your medical expenses.

Details of your GP and optometrist

After your appointment the specialist will write a report which will be sent to your GP and optometrist. This ensures that everyone that is involved in looking after your eye health is kept up to date on your treatment. It will also allow us to contact them for further information, if required.

When You Arrive
[MY VISIT]

When You Arrive

Reception

When you arrive for your appointment, the receptionist will take your details and ask for the referral. You will also need to present the card details of any healthcare provider or service (Medicare card, Pension card, DVA or your health care insurance company).

Ophthalmic Assistant
Once you have been registered you will be called in by the Ophthalmic Assistant, who will discuss the reasons for your appointment and record all the appropriate medical history. She will test your vision, as discussed above, and any additional investigations will be performed. At your first assessment this will often include autorefraction and a fundus photograph. Details about these investigations are available by clicking on the links. Your pupils may also be dilated at this point and you will be required to wait for about 15 minutes for the dilating drops to take effect.
Investigations
A range of instruments are used to measure and record the function and condition of the eye, and this information is used to diagnose ocular problems as well as monitor the effectiveness of their treatment.
READ MORE
The Eye Specialist (Ophthalmologist)
Once you have seen the ophthalmic assistant and completed the investigations you will see the ophthalmologist in the consulting room. He will have reviewed all the investigations and may ask a few additional questions before starting the examination, most of which is performed on an instrument called a slit lamp, illustrated below. A slit lamp is essentially a moveable microscope that is mounted on a table. You will sit on one side of the table and the ophthalmologist sits on the other. The instrument has a rest for your chin and a bar on which to rest your forehead. This ensures that your head remains still during the examination. A routine examination is a stress-free experience. There is no pain or discomfort and generally little contact between you and the ophthalmologist, apart from the occasional need to lift the upper lid to get a better view. The light may be a bit bright but is generally very well tolerated. The majority of patients in an eye clinic will require no further examination, but some may require additional measures or treatments, based on their particular circumstances. Your ophthalmologist will then explain your diagnosis and treatment, and will arrange a follow up appointment if required.

Still have questions?

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page
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