How Often Should You Get an Eye Exam?

As your eye continuously changes, your brain adapts and makes compromises with these changes, making it hard to tell if your vision is deteriorating. Based on many factors—including age, health, family medical history and personal medical history—the importance of yearly eye exams differs, but we urge you to visit an optometrist at least once a year.

As your eyes are the window to your soul, they are also the window to your overall well-being where other health issues come to light. For this blog, we will explore the importance of yearly eye exams, as well as other factors surrounding the topic. 

Why should I get my eyes examined once a year?

Prevention: Even if you are healthy—or you think you are healthy—prevention is the key to lasting eyesight. Vision impairment can be avoided or prevented if you are able to catch signs early on. Especially with rising numbers of Digital Eye Strain from increasing screen time from work and school; it’s more important now than ever to get in to see your eye doctor.

Your vision changes over time: Vision changes occur naturally, but it’s nothing to be afraid of. However, these changes can and will affect your vision on a daily basis, and only an optometrist will be able to tell you exactly how these changes are affecting your vision. If these changes aren’t monitored or taken care of, you could be facing irreparable damage.

In addition, it’s especially important to visit an eye doctor yearly if you already wear glasses or contacts. You could need adjustments after a period of time, and your prescription could change from your previous visit. An out-of-date prescription poses just as much of a threat as non-wearers letting their eyesight deteriorate. 

Your eyes show other health issues: As mentioned formerly, your eyes tell a tremendous amount about your overall health. Your eyes can show signs of diabetes, brain tumors, high cholesterol and high blood pressure by looking at blood vessels, arteries and cranial nerves while your eyes are dilated. These signs will show in your eyes before visible symptoms anywhere else. 

Symptomless eye diseases: There are common eye diseases that show no or limited symptoms until the effects are truly upon you and create irreversible damage. By looking at the optic nerve and the condition of the cornea an optometrist can see signs of eye diseases like glaucoma, dry eye and anterior segment diseases.

What to expect at an eye exam

For a thorough routine eye exam one should expect the following:

• A review of your personal and family health history—focusing on eye issues specifically—but including general health as well
• Evaluation of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism with an eye chart
• Near vision testing for evidence of presbyopia and need for progressive lens
• Bilateral evaluation of your eyes’ ability to work together
• Eye pressure to screen for glaucoma (We offer a no puff option in our office)
• Interior examination for cataracts and macular degeneration
• Evaluation of 3D vision, peripheral vision and color perception

Visionary Eye Center’s Digital Lifestyle Exam

With our cutting edge diagnostic technology, Visionary Eye Center is offering a Digital Lifestyle Exam that’s perfect for all ages! With this revolutionary eye exam you can spend more time talking face to face with an optometrist on a plan for your eyes rather than staring through a machine.

With this eye exam you can expect:

• Digital retinal imaging
• Digital prescription analyzer to map your eye’s curvature
• No-puff glaucoma test
• Review of your health history and a discussion of your specific visual needs

You can check out everything it has to offer here!

Schedule your appointment today!

Here, at the Visionary Eye Center, we strive for customized eye care solutions for our Reno-Sparks patients. As each patients’ needs are unique, our treatment should be as unique as you.

Our independence allows us the flexibility to use the latest technology, so you can receive cutting edge options and not bulk products that are found everywhere. Contact us today to get started with your personalized eye treatment today. We look forward to meeting you!