Eye Exams

At Viewpoint Vision Care, we specialize in mobile eye care services, bringing our Optometrist and Optician directly to your home, hospital, retirement, or long term care community. We know that many individuals face challenges when travelling to an outside clinic, whether due to mobility limitations, transportation barriers, or stress related to leaving a familiar environment. Our goal is to make eye care easy, comfortable, and accessible for everyone, especially seniors and those who may find traditional clinic visits difficult.

Why a Comprehensive Eye Exam Matters

Regular, comprehensive eye examinations do much more than update a glasses prescription. They help detect common and often asymptomatic eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and dry eye early, which can make a significant difference in long‑term vision and quality of life. These exams also look at overall eye health and how well the eyes work together, supporting independence and day‑to‑day safety.

What to Expect

When you book a mobile eye exam with us, our team conducts a thorough 10‑step comprehensive eye examination tailored to each persons needs. This includes:

  • The optometrist assesses the patient's visual acuity by having them read an eye chart, typically from a distance of 20 feet. This test determines how well the patient can see at different distances.

  • Using a phoropter or trial frame, the optometrist performs subjective refraction to determine the patient's refractive error. They use different lenses to find the most accurate prescription for the patient's corrective lenses.

  • This evaluation checks how well the patient's eyes work together as a team. It includes tests for eye alignment, eye movements, and depth perception.

  • The optometrist examines the patient's eye movements to ensure they have full control and coordination of their eye muscles.

  • The optometrist assesses the patient's pupils for size, shape, and response to light. This examination can help identify any abnormalities or signs of underlying eye conditions.

  • Using a specialized microscope called a slit lamp, the optometrist examines the structures of the anterior portion of the eye, including the cornea, iris, and lens. This evaluation helps detect conditions such as cataracts, corneal abnormalities, and signs of inflammation.

  • The optometrist measures the pressure inside the eye using tonometry. Elevated intraocular pressure may be an indicator of glaucoma.

  • The optometrist examines the back of the eye, including the retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels, using a combination of methods such as direct or indirect ophthalmoscopy, or using specialized instruments like a retinal camera. This assessment helps detect conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or retinal tears.

  • Involves assessing the clarity of the eye's lens to detect the presence of a cataract. This examination typically includes a thorough evaluation of visual acuity, a slit lamp examination to examine the lens, and other tests to determine the extent and impact of the cataract on vision.

  • Evaluate the patient's symptoms, examining the tear film quality, assessing corneal and conjunctival health, and measuring tear production and stability. These tests help determine the severity and underlying causes of dry eye syndrome to develop an appropriate treatment plan.

FAQ

How does the mobile eye exam process work? We coordinate a convenient date with your retirement home, long-term care community, or individual location. Our Optometrist and Optician arrive with all the portable diagnostic equipment needed to perform a full comprehensive eye examination on-site. No travel is required — we come to you.

Who is eligible for mobile eye care services? Our services are available to residents of retirement communities and long-term care homes across Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Brantford, and the GTA. We also visit individuals at home who face mobility challenges or find it difficult to travel to a traditional clinic.

What is included in a comprehensive eye examination? Our 10-step examination includes visual acuity testing, refraction, binocular vision assessment, eye movement and pupillary examination, slit lamp evaluation, intraocular pressure measurement for glaucoma screening, retinal examination, cataract assessment, and dry eye evaluation.

Do you accept insurance? Is direct billing available? Yes. We offer direct billing to a wide range of private health insurance providers, as well as ODSP and NIHB. Contact us and we can confirm coverage for your specific plan before your appointment.

Is OHIP covered for eye exams? OHIP covers annual comprehensive eye examinations for patients 65 and older, as well as for those with certain medical conditions. Our Optometrist will confirm your coverage during the booking process.

What happens after the eye exam? If glasses are needed, our Optician will assist with frame selection and lens recommendations right at your location. Completed eyewear is then delivered to you — no second trip required. We also provide vision and eye health findings to residents, families, or care teams as requested.

How long does a mobile eye exam take? A comprehensive eye examination typically takes 20 minutes per resident. We work efficiently to minimize disruption to daily routines.

How do I book a clinic day for our retirement or long-term care community? Contact us by phone, text, or email and our team will coordinate a date that works for your community. We handle the scheduling and bring everything needed on the day.

Do you offer services for corporate workplace clinics? Yes. We provide mobile eye care for workplace settings, including comprehensive eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, and safety eyewear. Contact us to discuss your organization's needs.

What areas do you serve? We proudly serve Hamilton, Brantford, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto, and surrounding areas across the GTA.

  • An elderly man and woman sitting on a stone bench, looking at a vineyard landscape with hills in the background.

    Senior Vision Care

    When we reach the age of 65, this can be a critical time in our visual life, you may often experience faster than usual decline in vision quality, which creates heightened public safety concerns.

    There are many medical disease processes that occur as you age and these require constant monitoring for optimal health and prevention. Conditions such as cataracts and Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) are significant more common eye conditions that develop as we age. Risk factors include family history, smoking and accumulated UV exposure.

    Viewpoint Vision Care's in-home services are more important now than ever. We will visit your house, retirement or long term care community and we take the time to listen and prescribe the best lens options, sun protection and frames for our Senior population and we will do it all from the comfort of your own home. Before your lenses are made we will be able to show you what your prescription will look like in a comfortable environment, so you know it will be the change you need and there will not be any surprises.

    100% UV SUNGLASS USE IS VERY IMPORTANT AND SHOULD BE ADOPTED EARLY

  • A pair of black-rimmed eyeglasses resting on an open book with text, lying on a white bed with a pillow and gray blanket in the background.

    Presbyopia

    AGE RELATED READING DIFFICULTIES

    Age related focusing issues, with difficulty focusing up close, is known as presbyopia (pronounced prez-bye-oh-pia)

    This starts in most at around the age of 40, and happens because the lens and the muscles controlling the lens start to lose the ability to change focus. They become fixed for clear vision only at a distance, making it harder to focus on close objects.

    Typical symptoms are:

    1. Things up close start to appear blurry. For example, your phone or a book. Eventually, also at a typical distance for computer use

    2. Tiredness and eyestrain

    3. Starting to hold things further away in order to see them clearly

    4. Needing better lighting in order to see clearly up close

    5. Avoidance of close up work

    6. Sometimes a headache may form with close up work

    7. Slower comprehension rate with reading and close up work

    It’s a common misconception that wearing glasses can make your eyesight worse. This is simply untrue. It may be a commonly held belief because, after enjoying clearer vision with glasses, it’s easy to find that your eyesight without them seems worse than you might remember.

    In fact, if you give your eyes the correct prescription, you’re more likely to reduce the eyestrain and blurriness. In some studies, this is shown to encourage your eyesight to stay more stable as a result. So if you experience any change in your eyesight, it’s best to come in early, even if it’s just to check and get reassurance that things are ok.

  • A young woman sitting at a desk, holding her forehead with one hand and looking stressed while using her smartphone.

    Eye Conditions

    CATARACT

    Cataracts are a clouding of the body's natural lens. This is a slow progressing process and may appear as if you are looking through a dirty or foggy window.

    GLAUCOMA

    Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions causing a deterioration of the optic nerve, that may result in blindness. Primary open angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma which is caused by increased eye pressure.

    MACULAR DEGENERATION

    Macular degeneration is a disease that affects your central vision. The macula is the area of the retina which forms a clear centred vision. Deterioration of the macula can cause blurring or distortion of your central vision.

    DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

    Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes, affecting the retina -the back of one's eye. Damage to retinal blood vessels, due to uncontrolled diabetes, can cause eye floaters, blurriness, vision loss, and in severe cases even blindness.

    DRY EYE MANAGEMENT

    Dry eye can occur when the body does not produce an adequate amount of natural tears. This causes the eyes to become red and inflamed, which leads to discomfort and light sensitivity - which can distort one's vision.

  • Man working on a laptop and holding a smartphone at a café with a glass of water and a cup of coffee on the table.

    How do computer's affect our vision?

    As you work at a computer, your eyes have to focus and refocus constantly. Your eye muscles need to make very precise movements to allow you to read and work smoothly. They may look up and down from the screen to other objects in the distance, and need to refocus closer to see your keyboard or other objects. All of this requires a great deal of effort from your eye muscles.

    Additionally, screens can vary greatly in quality, contrast, refresh rate, and glare.

    If you have an existing eyesight problem, working on a computer for a prolonged period of time can exacerbate it. So, it’s important to wear glasses if you have them. If you need glasses but don’t have them, or if you wear the wrong prescription for computer use, you might find you could be working much better after a proper in home assessment.

    Computer related eyestrain can occur at any time, and at any age, but it may also be exacerbated by age-related changes and may get worse with time, if not well managed. Around the age of 40, your ability to change focus from near to far objects will start to worsen, as well as your ability to see things up close (known as presbyopia). This can worsen issues relating to Computer Vision Syndrome.

    During our in-home consultation you will be able to look at your own computer with your new prescription before we make your glasses. This allows us to make adjustments to suit your unique workspace. We will help you find the best solution before prescribing the perfect lenses.