Eye Exams
Regardless of your age or physical health, it’s important to have your eyes examined at least every 2 years.
During a complete eye exam, our experienced optometrists will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.
A comprehensive eye exam includes a number of tests and procedures to examine and evaluate the health of your eyes and the quality of your vision. These tests range from simple ones, like having you read an eye chart, to complex tests, such as using a high-powered lens to examine the health of the tissues inside of your eyes.
The Gamsu & Gaffoor Optometrists recommend scheduling a complete eye exam every one to three years, depending on your age, risk factors, and physical condition.
Children
Some experts estimate that approximately 5% to 10% of preschoolers and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems.
We recommend scheduling your child’s first eye exam at 6 months old to determine whether there are any abnormalities within the eye or risk factors for vision problems, and then bringing them in again at age 3 and just before they start school so that we can monitor the eyes while they develop.
Children without vision problems or risk factors for eye or vision problems should then continue to have their eyes examined at least every two years throughout school, while children who do have vision issues should have their eyes examined more frequently.
Common risk factors for vision problems include:
- premature birth
- developmental delays
- turned or crossed eyes
- family history of eye disease
- history of eye injury
- other physical illness or disease
Adults
We also recommend an annual eye exam for any adult who wears eyeglasses or contacts. If you don’t normally need vision correction, you still need an eye exam every two to three years up to the age of 40, depending on your rate of visual change and overall health. Doctors often recommend more frequent examinations for adults with diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders, because many diseases can have an impact on vision and eye health.
If you are over 40, it’s a good idea to have your eyes examined every one to two years to check for common age-related eye problems such as presbyopia, cataracts and macular degeneration. Due the risk of eye disease continues to increase with advancing age, everyone over the age of 60 should be examined annually.
