To safeguard the health of your eyes, you should see the eye doctor on a regular basis. They can help you determine if you need glasses, adjust your existing prescription, or help diagnose serious issues. Wondering how often you need to go to the eye doctor? Here’s a breakdown of the basics.
Adult Eye Exams
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a baseline vision screening for all adults after the age of 40. During this appointment, your eye doctor will check your vision and examine the general health of your eye. Conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, and age-related macular degeneration can begin in midlife but often do not noticeably affect the vision until later in life. By that time, for some of these conditions, irreversible damage may have occurred. This is especially true with glaucoma, also known as the silent thief of sight.
In addition, as we age, the eye’s natural lens (located behind the pupil) becomes less elastic, making it more difficult to focus both up close and at a distance. This vision condition is known as presbyopia. One sign that you have developed presbyopia is that you will find yourself holding reading materials further and further away in order to see them clearly. If left untreated, this condition will cause eye fatigue and headaches.
The good news is, there are simple solutions available. One is to purchase inexpensive, over-the-counter “readers” to help with up close vision. Another is to have a prescription written by your eye doctor for glasses that correct both distance and near vision. Contact lenses may also be an option for some patients. Of course, once it’s necessary to have cataract surgery (the replacement of the eye’s natural lens), a specially powered intraocular lens will be formulated to improve the patient’s vision at distance and sometimes for up close as well.
Prevention is the best medicine, and only an eye doctor will be able to detect that problems may be occurring by performing a complete eye exam. Your doctor will then give you their recommendation on the frequency you should be seen. Often times, it is considered routine to have an eye exam every two years after the age of 40. However, more frequent appointments may be recommended if you have a family history of eye disease, have diabetes, high blood pressure, take certain prescription medication that has visual side effects, or previous eye injuries.
Eye Exams for Adults over 60
Once you turn 60, you should start to see the eye doctor every year. After the age of 60, the risk of developing glaucoma, macular degeneration, or cataracts, as well as other vision issues, sharply increases. Your eye care professional can ensure these issues are detected and treated as needed
When it is time for you to see the eye doctor, call New Vision Eye Center . We do general eye exams and provide a wide range of treatment options for our patients at our world class eye care facility.