Annual eye exams are recommended for all patients unless you have a specific eye condition that may require more frequent visits. Annual eye exams are important to check the medical health of your eye. The fit of your contact lenses must be checked to be sure they continue to fit properly, and are not adversely affecting the health of your eyes.
Eye exams can range from 30 minutes to 90 minutes depending on what the doctor finds during the examination.
Your doctor will evaluate the health of several functions, including:
- Eye muscles (Strabismus, or “lazy eye”)
- Pupils
- Intraocular pressure (Glaucoma)
- Cornea
- Crystalline lens (Cataracts)
- Retina (Macular degeneration, Diabetes, and other retinal problems)
- Optic Nerve head (Glaucoma)
- Refraction (Prescription)
- Peripheral vision
In most cases, glasses will not cause deterioration beyond what is normal. Wearing glasses for activities other than those intended can cause this eyes to work harder than they need to. Examples include wearing distance glasses to read up close.
Give your eyes frequent breaks. Look away from close paper or computer work. Spend time outdoors. Ask your doctor about eye-focus skills, and make sure your lens correction is current.
Children should have their first vision evaluation as early as 6 months of age, and annually thereafter – more frequently if a visual problem is detected.
Doctors will use lights and symbols instead of letters when testing young children. Most of the testing requires little input from the child.
Common symptoms include rubbing eyes, squinting, turning or tilting of the head, losing their place while reading, headaches, red or wandering eyes, complaints of blurred vision, and more. All children should have eye examinations at the age of three.
Cataracts are largely age-related, but ultraviolet light exposure and smoking can hasten the progression of this disease
Laser eye surgery can be used to safely and predictably correct myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism. Correction for farsightedness is not as predictable. It also does not correct Presbyopia, which requires the wearing of reading glasses or bifocals. This means that individuals over the age of 45 will usually require reading glasses following surgery. Laser surgery cannot be used to correct Amblyopia (lazy eye) or other existing conditions caused by trauma or other factors.
