How Often Should Adults Get a Comprehensive Eye Exam?

By definition, an eye exam is a series of comprehensive tests that aim to check for eye conditions and evaluate your overall vision. Your optometrist usually uses several medical instruments to achieve this goal. He or she might require you to look through a range of lenses and/or shine bright lights at your eyes. Every time you go to your eye doctor, your overall eye health will be comprehensively evaluated. But how often should you get this exam? Here are a few answers.

Importance of Eye Care

Regardless of your age, eye health experts recommend having a comprehensive eye exam at least once every two to three years. But in case you experience dramatic or sudden vision loss, you should see your eye doctor immediately and a bit more frequently after treatment to monitor your progress.

However, eye health specialists have various recommendations based on different factors. Some of them include your personal and family medical history and your age. This article will focus on the recommendations based on age, particularly the frequency that adults should have a comprehensive eye exam.

Adults Up to 20 Years Old

Unless your ophthalmologist or optometrist notices signs of eye issues that could lead to vision loss, these experts recommend young adults of this age have their eyes checked once every two years. Ensure you give your eye doctor a detailed personal and family medical history to get the best treatment course in case you have an eye condition. Eye diseases or anomalies caught at this age can be easily treated or managed.

Adults Aged 21 to 39 Years

According to eye specialists, adults in this age bracket should also have a comprehensive eye exam once every two to three years. At this age, the risk of experiencing rapid or sudden vision loss is pretty low. However, African-American individuals are at a higher risk of experiencing vision loss at this age. For this reason, they should visit an eye doctor once every one to two years. Other factors that may require more frequent eye exams include:

• If you are suffering from high blood pressure or diabetes.
• If you wear contact lenses or glasses.
• If you had an eye injury or surgery.
• If you have a family history of eye disease.

Adults Aged 40 to 64 Years

During this age bracket, your eyes go through a lot of changes. You will require increased lens prescriptions due to diminishing vision and progressive hardening of your eyes. Additionally, people in this age bracket are more susceptible to health conditions that can lead to vision loss. These include high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, among others. Thus, during this age, you should visit your eye specialist once every one to two years.

Adults Aged 65 Years and Above

At this age, eye health experts recommend having a comprehensive eye exam every year. This is because you are more likely to develop cataracts, progressing presbyopia, and other vision-related issues.

To know more about comprehensive eye exams, visit Primary Vision Care at Waynesville, Newark, Lancaster, Mount Vernon, or Wilmington, Ohio. You can also call us on (513) 897-2211, (937) 382-4933, (740) 393-6010, (740) 654-9909 or (740) 299-1155 to book an appointment.