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You may find out you have cataracts when you go for a routine eye checkup.

Two kinds of health professionals are specially trained in eye care.

• Optometrists can give you an eye test, check for eye problems and prescribe glasses and contact lenses.
• Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in eye problems and can do operations.

Many people find out they might have cataracts when they go to an optometrist for a routine eye test.¹ If you are over 64, you should get eye tests every one year to two years.

Your optometrist or ophthalmologist can see if you have cataracts by doing a thorough eye examination. Here is what you can expect.²

• An eye test. Your doctor will ask you to read letters from different rows of a chart. This measures how well you see at certain distances. To read more, see Eye tests.
• An examination to look inside your eye. In this test, drops are put in your eye to make the hole in the center of your eye (called your pupil) wider. Doctors call this dilating your pupils. Your doctor will use a special magnifying lens to look inside your eye to see if you have a cataract and how bad it is.
• A tonometry test. In this test, your doctor uses an instrument to measure the pressure inside your eye. You may get drops to numb your eye first. This test checks for other eye problems, such as glaucoma.

Doctors can't see cataracts without looking into your eye, unless you have very bad ones. In this case, the center of your eye (your pupil) will be gray or white. By this stage your eyesight will be severely affected.

Your doctor will ask you how much your cataracts bother you. They will also ask you about any other health problems and eye problems you have had or have. And you might have other tests to find out more about the health of your eyes.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.