One comprehensive eye exam each year should help keep your eyes in top shape. But some patients may need to have their eyes checked more than once a year. Your eyesight can change a lot in one year. This is especially true if you are over the age of 50.

Frequent eye exams are necessary to maintain your vision and general eye health. They allow your eye doctor to check your whole visual system and rule out eye problems and other medical issues.

Why Are Eye Exams Important?

When your ophthalmologist examines your eyes, they can tell how well your eyes are working and check for eye diseases like cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinal detachment.

The eye doctor can also detect high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, leukemia, and other health conditions.

How Often Should You Get an Eye Exam?

Certain factors determine how often you should get an eye exam. They include your age and medical history. Also, your family’s health history and wearing glasses or contact lenses are crucial considerations.

Six Months to Three Years

Your child’s eye doctor will examine your child’s eyes to check for healthy eye growth and signs of lazy eyes and misaligned or crossed eyes. A more detailed eye exam between ages three and five will check for problems with eyesight and eye position.

School-age Kids and Teenagers

Your eye doctor will perform various eye tests to examine your child’s visual skills and abilities. The doctor can diagnose or rule out common childhood eye problems like nearsightedness (myopia), astigmatism, and farsightedness (hyperopia). The eye doctor will suggest how often eye checkups should be after that.

Adults

Generally, eye doctors recommend that every adult get a comprehensive eye checkup every year or as often as the eye doctor suggests. Here is the suggested frequency of detailed eye exams for people without risks or symptoms of vision or eye health problems.

 

• 20 to 39 years – every two to four years
   

• 40 to 54 years – every one or two to four years
   

• 55 to 64 years – every one or three years
   

• 65 years and above – every one or two years

People at Risk of Eye Problems

Your eye doctor will suggest having eye exams more frequently if you:

 

• Wear prescription eyewear (glasses or contact lenses)
   

• Have a personal or family medical history of eye disease
   

• Have high blood pressure, diabetes, or other chronic illnesses that increase your risk of eye problems
   

• Are currently taking medicines that cause eye-related complications
   

• Have had refractive or cataract eye surgery or eye injuries in the past
   

• Have a job that puts you at a higher risk of eye injuries—for example, welding, construction work, mechanic, firefighter, or working with chemicals
  
   

If you cannot remember the last time you had a comprehensive eye exam, it is probably time to schedule one with your eye doctor. Do not wait until you experience vision changes or eye problems.

Are you due for a comprehensive eye exam? Add it to your calendar and call your eye doctor to book an appointment.

For more on getting an eye exam, visit Cincinnati Vision Group at our offices in Cincinnati or Liberty Township, Ohio. Call (513) 793-5970, (513) 712-5065, or (513) 753-4981 to schedule an appointment today.