Most people will go for an eye exam when they start to have eye trouble. Blurred vision, eye floaters, eye pain, and other common problems are often why people decide to visit the optometrist. Most people don’t go for routine, preventative eye exams, but they should.
Compare going to the eye doctor to visiting the dentist. The majority of people understand how important it is to visit the dentist every six months to keep their teeth healthy and catch problems early. For the same reasons, it is important that people visit their eye doctor regularly.
There are health problems that need to be caught early, especially as people grow older. Their eyes will fail them in time and need more care than they did in their earlier years.
Why See an Eye Specialist?
Eye doctors can catch all kinds of problems with the eye that you might not realize are even there. Your eye doctor can perform tests to tell you just how healthy your eyes are.
Preventative eye exam care is incredibly important for anyone who wants their eyes to last a long time. As your eye health changes over time, your doctor can tell you what changes you need to make to keep your eyes working at their best.
Many eye health problems that people suffer as they age can be avoided or minimized if people visit their eye specialist regularly. The eye doctor can offer specialized medical advice to ensure that their patients are doing everything they can to take good care of their eyes.
How Regular Is Regular?
When we say that you should see your eye doctor regularly, how often are we talking about? In general, it’s recommended that healthy people see their eye specialist for an eye exam about once every two years. This frequency works well to catch most eye problems as they are developing. If you have some sort of eye health problems, though, you will want to increase that frequency as your specialist sees fit.
Once you reach 60 years of age, you should be going once every year to your eye doctor. This will help your doctor catch eye problems early that may be common to older people. This is a key age group that tends to suffer more with eye problems like poor eye strength, nearsightedness, farsightedness, and serious problems like cataracts and blindness.
If you haven’t gone to your eye doctor in a long time, like a few years, it’s a good time to schedule an appointment and have your eyes examined. You can then find out how healthy your eyes are and any changes you need to make.
Many people fear going to an eye specialist because they think there is a chance that they will be told they need glasses. That is a scary thought for some, but it’s vital that you get the help you need and take good care of your eyes from an early age. If you need glasses or some information on corrective treatment, you should have that done and not run the risk of losing your eyesight at an early age. This also helps prevent the risk of poor eyesight well before you should have to deal with that kind of problem.
What Kind of Conditions Require More Frequent Eye Exams?
Certain kinds of people will need to go to the eye doctor more frequently. Of course, those in their 60s will want to go about once a year, but other people should be seeing their eye doctor more often than just once every two years. Here are some of the people who should be consulting with their eye specialist about more frequent visits:
- People who work in front of screens- If you spend long hours every day in front of your cell phone, laptop or computer because of work, hobbies or other reasons, then your eyesight should be a priority. Your eyesight is also at risk, and you may need to see your eye doctor about wearing special protection to safeguard your eyes against harmful light from screens.
- Eye problems- If you have suffered an eye injury in the past, if your eyes are giving you trouble or being treated for an eye health problem, you need to see your eye doctor more frequently than the average person. Consult with your specialist to figure out how often you need to visit and be sure to attend each of those visits on time.
- Family history of eye problems- You may believe that if your eyes seem healthy, you don’t need to see an eye doctor any more often than the average person. However, if your family has a history of blindness, cataracts, and other eye health problems, you need to watch out for those same issues. Talk to your doctor about your eye health and family history to get an expert opinion.
Your eye health is very important and should be important to you. Regular visits for an eye exam can make the difference between your eyes lasting for a few more years or a few more decades. Take the time to schedule an appointment with an eye specialist and have your eyes professionally examined to determine how healthy they are.
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