How Often Should You Have a Comprehensive Eye Exam?

The brain is an efficient adapter. As your vision changes, your brain will quickly adapt to accommodate them. Unless you experience a dramatic and sudden change in vision, your brain will trick you into assuming everything is okay.

 

This is why ophthalmologists and optometrists recommend regular comprehensive eye exams. However, the regularity of your comprehensive eye exams will depend on various factors. These include your personal and family medical history, age, risk factors, and whether you currently wear corrective lenses.

 

What Is a Comprehensive Eye Exam?

This type of eye examination involves a series of procedures and tests meant to evaluate vision and eye health. Eye doctors use a variety of instruments and techniques to evaluate different aspects of the patient’s vision and eye health.

 

Why Comprehensive Eye Exams Are Important

The best way to detect an eye or vision condition at its earliest stage is through a comprehensive eye exam. Eye and vision conditions are most manageable and/or treatable when detected and managed early on. Routine comprehensive eye exams give eye health professionals a chance to identify, manage, and correct vision and eye issues before they worsen.

 

How Often to Get Your Eyes Checked

Regular comprehensive eye examinations are an essential aspect of maintaining your eye health. When identified and caught early, most vision and/or eye conditions are treatable. Essentially, routine comprehensive eye exams can help keep your eyes healthy, in addition to keeping your vision crisp and clear. As for how often, it depends largely on the person so it's best to consult your eye doctor to find what frequency is right for you. 

 

When to Have a Comprehensive Eye Exam

Several factors will determine how frequently you need to undergo comprehensive eye exams. Some of these include your risk of developing eye conditions, age, and general health. That said, eye care professionals recommend some general guidelines. These include:

 

Babies and Toddlers Aged Less Than Three Years

Your pediatric eye doctor will check your little one’s vision and eyes for healthy development. They will also look for any signs and symptoms of common eye problems. These include misaligned eyes, crossed eyes, or lazy eye.

 

It is important to take your child for a comprehensive eye exam between the ages of three and five. The purpose of this exam is to look for any issues concerning eye and vision alignment. That said, babies and toddlers should undergo routine eye exams every two years or so before they start school.

 

School-Aged Kids and Adolescents

Do you have a school-aged or adolescent child? If so, you need to consult your pediatric eye doctor about the ideal frequency of comprehensive eye exams. If your school-aged or adolescent child has a vision problem, you should take them for a comprehensive eye exam every two years or so, depending on the severity of their visual condition.

 

Adults

Healthy adults without vision problems should have a comprehensive eye exam at age 40. This is when some eye and vision conditions start to develop. Based on the results of the examination, your eye doctor will recommend the frequency of future exams.

 

Senior Adults

For those above the age of 60, a comprehensive eye exam is necessary at least once every two years. But if you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, you need to get your eyes and vision checked more frequently, despite your age. The same applies to people who take medications with serious eye side effects, as well as those with a family history of vision loss or eye disease.


 

To learn more about comprehensive eye exams or to schedule an appointment, contact Optique Vision at our office in Albany, New York at (518) 302-2106 today.