How Often Should I Have a Comprehensive Eye Exam?

From the moment you open your eyes in the morning, they’re hard at work helping you navigate the world around you. Your eyesight is important, which is why you should take steps to preserve the health of your eyes, and that starts with regular eye exams.

Among the many areas of health that we cover at LaSante Health Center, our team of multi-disciplinary health care providers includes an optometrist. 

Vision improvement and beyond

A whopping three-quarters of the population in the United States use vision correction, whether it’s a pair of readers or contact lenses for astigmatism. The first step in figuring out whether you need corrective lenses is to come see us for an eye exam, during which we measure your visual acuity.

From our measurements, we can determine the type of vision problem you’re encountering (e.g., nearsightedness, farsightedness) and discuss which options are best for helping you to see more clearly.

If you already wear corrective lenses, but they’re no longer doing the trick, we can update your prescription after a quick eye exam.

While vision correction is one of the primary reasons people have their eyes examined, we want to point out the threat of vision-robbing eye diseases.

For example, cataracts affect nearly 25 million people aged 40 and older in the US, and by the age of 75, about half of people have cataracts. Glaucoma and macular degeneration affect nearly 5 million people combined, especially as they grow older.

With these eye diseases, and others, the progression can be slow, and you may not notice any symptoms at first. Through a comprehensive eye exam, we take the time to look for signs of these eye diseases, allowing you to take early action.

The ideal eye exam timeline

To give you an idea about how often you should come see us for an eye exam, we’re going to refer to the recommendations put forth by the American Optometric Association by age group:

• 0-2 — At least once (usually between 6 and 12 months)
• 3-5 — Once
• 6-17 — Once before first grade and as recommended after that
• 18-64 — Once every two years
• 65 and older — Annually

These recommendations assume low risk and no symptoms. But if you’re experiencing eye-related symptoms or your eye health is at risk, this timeline will be different.

When we discuss risk, we’re referring to issues like diabetes, which can damage nerves in your eyes and cause serious vision impairment. We can sit down with you to determine whether you’re at risk and how often you should see us for an eye exam.

Given how important your eyesight is, if you’re behind on your eye exams, we urge you to remedy that by scheduling one with us today. 

To get started, contact our Brooklyn, New York, clinic. We serve the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.