Beyond Vision: Nurturing Eye Health for a Lifetime of Clarity

Regardless of your age or physical health, it’s important to have regular eye exams.

During a complete eye exam, your eye doctor will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.

Eye care experts recommend you have a complete eye exam every year to assess your risk for potentially damaging eye conditions, as well as to keep on top of any changes in vision you may be experiencing.

Caring for Tomorrow's Visionaries:
Comprehensive Eye Wellness for Children

Some experts estimate that approximately 5% to 10% of pre-schoolers and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), all children should have their eyes examined at 6 months of age, at age 3 and again at the start of school. Children without vision problems or risk factors for eye or vision problems should then continue to have their eyes examined at every year throughout school.

  • Premature Birth

  • Developmental Delays

  • Turned or Crossed Eyes

  • Family History of Eye Disease

  • History of Eye Injury

  • Other Physical Illness or Disease

Children with existing vision problems or risk factors should have their eyes examined more frequently. Common risk factors for vision problems include:

The AOA recommends that children who wear eyeglasses or contact lenses should have their eyes examined at least every 12 months or according to their eye doctor’s instructions.

Eyes for a Lifetime: Nourishing Adult Vision Through Comprehensive Exams

The AOA suggests yearly eye exams for adults with glasses or contacts. Even if you don't need vision correction, you still need an annual exam. Doctors may suggest more frequent exams for adults with diabetes, high blood pressure, or other disorders as diseases can affect vision and eye health.

If you are over 40, it’s a good idea to have your eyes examined every one to two years to check for common age-related eye problems such as presbyopia, cataracts and macular degeneration. Read more about Vision After 40.

Because the risk of eye disease continues to increase with advancing age, everyone over the age of 60 should be examined annually. Read more about Vision After 60.