How often should I have an eye exam?
Depending on your vision needs and eye health, you should have an eye exam once every 12-24 months. If you wear corrective lenses, your prescription is only valid for a year, so you’ll need an appointment to get an updated prescription so you can replace your contact lenses or get new glasses.
However, if you don’t have vision problems, you should still have your eye health checked at least once every two years. As you age, your risk of certain eye diseases increases and you could need more frequent eye exams.
Children should have their first eye exam around 6 months old, then again when they turn 3, and before they start school.
Why do I need eye exams?
Benjamin Optical offers eye exams to monitor your eye health and your visual acuity. As with many other health conditions, vision problems and eye diseases don’t often cause symptoms in their early stages. For example, glaucoma is often referred to as “the silent thief of sight” because it doesn’t cause symptoms until your vision is permanently damaged.
Routine eye exams allow your optometrist to monitor your eye health and offer treatments to correct and preserve your vision.
What should I expect during an eye exam?
Your eye exam includes a variety of tests to check the sharpness of your vision and your eye health.
During a visual acuity test, you read letters and numbers on an eye chart. You’ll also read a series of letters and numbers the optometrist projects onto the wall to measure your distance vision and from a small hand-held chart to test your near vision. If you need corrective lenses, your doctor uses retinoscopy and refraction to determine your prescription.
Your optometrist also uses a cover test to check how well your eyes work together, and ocular motility testing to measure how well your eyes follow a moving object or accurately focus on separate targets.
Your optometrist also examines the structures and interior of your eye with tests including a slit lamp exam, tonometry (the glaucoma test), visual field tests, and pupil dilation to examine your retina.
If you or a member of your family is due for an eye exam, call Benjamin Optical or schedule an appointment online today.
