"Your eyes are the windows to your soul."

This phrase rings true for so many poets and romance novelists when talking about the damsels of their dreams – but how can your eyes reflect your beautiful soul if you do not take care of them?

Fortunately for us, in the modern era, eye care is absolutely accessible and it doesn't even require you to go to an eye specialist hospital and spend hundreds of ringgits just to get through a consultation session. Let alone, wait for such a long period of time with so many other patients.

Better Vision, which has been around for over 50 years, makes it their mission to fill in that gap and make eye check ups even easier and more accessible than ever. You can easily have your eyes professionally checked and your vision treated, right within any of their specialised outlets. With over 120 outlets in Thailand, Singapore & Malaysia, there really shouldn't be any problems to secure an appointment. After all, just like a medical check-up or visiting the dentist, you only need to ensure your eyes get checked once a year. This crucial step could help detect health issues before it worsens and save your eyesight.

For perfect clarity, Better Vision had developed a special 12-step eye examination called Better Vision Accuracy System, or BVAX for short.  BVAX will allow one to receive the most detailed eye analysis that takes into account various factors that can affect eyesight. It is not merely just using a refractometer to get a reading of your eyesight (which I notice is common practice in a lot of other optical shops here) and immediately prescribe the lens/glasses.



According to a Better Vision specialist, he said that refractometers only provide a rough idea of what your eye's power is, but it does not take in any other factors like colour or light sensitivity. This is where BVAX stands out from the rest, as there are 12 detailed steps to giving you the best clarity for your vision. This is my experience with Better Vision.

STEP 1: Patient evaluation
This is where I was asked if I had any eye issues in the past or any surgeries. Since I had none, we got this step done pretty quickly.

STEP 2: Objective refraction test
As I mentioned, you eye's corrective power will be estimated by the auto refractometer, which is used in most optical shops. You place your chin on the paper, and the specialist will use the machine to test each eye individually – you will usually see a photo of a colourful hot air balloon along a straight road.

STEP 3: Subjective refraction test
The rest of the tests are carried out in the special room, where the lights are off, and this test required me to place my head behind this phoropter, which I will look through while he changes a few lenses and asks me questions about which lens is clearer – so that he can estimate my long-sightedness and short-sightedness.


STEP 4: Fan chart & cross cylinder test
This test is very much like looking at a series of dots and just telling the eye examiner which looks clearer to you as he changes a few lenses. In reality, he is assessing your astigmatism level, and also seeing what angles best work to place astigmatism lens. You probably wouldn't even know what he's testing unless you ask him a lot of questions (like me).


STEP 5: Visual acuity test
I think many of us have gone through this test before, it is the one that involves the Snellen chart – which is the chart where you see alphabets going from big to small. Always be honest and tell your examiner honestly if you cannot see the smallest alphabets. There were so many times throughout the test where I just told him, "I'm not sure if it's clear but I know what alphabet that is." In which case he will change and change the lens until finally, it's clear. It's optometry magic, really.

STEP 6: Duo-chrome test
At this point, he put on these trial frames on me, which look like really cool scientist glasses, and it comes with a box of various frames that he would interchange to determine my vision. This test involves me looking at a half-red, half-green chart, and telling the examiner which number is clearer on which colour. I was a little confused here because of the colours, but my examiner patiently switched the frames back and forth, so that I am able to compare. This test helps to ensure that your eye's short/long sightedness was not over/under compensated from the earlier tests.



STEP 7: Binocular balancing
This part of the test was pretty much me staring at the Snellen chart again and various other patterns, and him putting on various lenses and asking me which is clearer. I got a little unsure a few times as most of the comparisons are really close. In the end though, after a few rounds, I finally got the clearest vision in both eyes via the trial frames.

STEP 8: Near vision test
This was just another series of test with the Snellen chart, checking to see that I can read all the big and small letters. Each eye was tested in turn.

STEP 9: Colour vision test
I was given another round of tests with coloured dots that are mostly in red and green hues. But of course, everything was fine with this. But it is just a precaution as some people have defects that does not allow them to see either red/green clearly. Thankfully, I passed with flying colours!

STEP 10: Binocular vision assessment
I only had to look at these odd shapes and tell him which looks clearer. One reminded me of those camera focus symbols, and the other was like a double-ended cigarette. Whatever they are for, I didn't feel any special effect on my vision – but they help the examiner assess our focus and determine if there are any abnormalities in our eye muscles, that could affect its focus.

STEP 11: Vision analysis
The final test to double-check my vision once again includes looking at various images and texts and a few more changing of lens.

STEP 12: Patient management
So after all was said and done, my examiner sat down with me and said that my vision is still the same as what I'm wearing on my current glasses, but I have a slight astigmatism in both eyes. So he explained that he will be prescribing me a lens power that is slightly lower than my glasses, to make up for the astigmatism.

And voila, I got my lenses and I can now see at the best clarity when I wear my lenses each day! In case you're wondering, I'm wearing the new Acuvue Define lens which are absolutely comfortable and great for my eyes.




If you look around every Better Vision store, you will notice that they are the only ones who have the exclusivity to carry Chanel eyewear (found in no other optical store) and they also carry other high range eyewear brands like Tiffany & Co, Porsche Design, Gucci and so on. You can definitely expect only the best of services and brands in all their outlets nationwide.

To find out more, please follow their Facebook page, lookup their outlets to make your appointment, or even check out their local promotions. Love your eyes today!