Eye Exams

Comprehensive eye exams at regular intervals are critical for checking on eye health and retaining sight. Eye experts usually recommend that children have their eyes checked by age four. Youngsters and teens should follow a schedule recommended by their Today's Vision doctor. Between ages 20 and 40, eye exams should be done at 11/2 year intervals unless eye problems arise. More frequent check-ups are advisable as we age: 40- to 64-year-olds should also have their eyes examined every 11/2 years, and for those over 65 an eye examination is a good idea every year. African-Americans, who are at greater risk for glaucoma, should have exams more frequently: every two to four years before 40 and every two years after that. Individuals with diabetes, glaucoma, and contact lens wearers also need more frequent eye exams.

Current statistics show that many fall short of these recommendations: 30 percent of American adults in one survey said they couldn't remember the last time they had their eyes checked. It is not surprising then that about 47,000 Americans - one every 11 minutes - become blind each year, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Eye health is often overlooked, the NIH warns, because people disregard symptoms: flashes of light, difficulty seeing at night or temporary double vision reflect problems that need attention. Others attribute hazy vision, halos around light or other indications of potentially serious problems to simple eyestrain or emotional stress. This is hazardous, says the NIH, because one third of all cases of blindness could have been averted with preventive care and early diagnosis.

According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), a comprehensive eye exam should include at least three diagnostic components - tonometry (to determine the fluid pressure in the eye); a visual acuity test (to measure how well the patient sees at various distances), and pupil dilation (in which eye drops are placed in each eye to widen the pupil allowing the doctor to see the interior of the eye to check the retina for signs of disease).

Take a few mintues to learn more about the types of exams Today's Vision doctors can also perform - Amplitude of Accomodation, Angle of Vision, Case History, External Exam, Internal Exam (dilation), Phorometry, Retinoscopy, Subjective Refraction and Visual Acuity.

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Take the One Minute Sight Saver Test from the Vision Council of America to determine if you are may need an eye exam:
  • Do you or a family member wear glasses for reading, distance vision or both?

  • Do your children, grandchildren or other children you care for sit too close to the TV, have trouble with hand-eye coordination or complain of headaches?

  • Has your school-age child or grandchild ever received a thorough eye exam from an eye doctor (do not count school exams)?

  • Do you or anyone in your immediate family (parents or siblings) have high blood pressure or diabetes?

  • Do you or a family member spend several hours each day looking at a computer screen or experience frequent headaches after working at a computer?

  • Have you or a family member been diagnosed or treated for cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration or other eye problems?

  • Do you spend time outdoors without sunglasses that have 100% UV and glare protection?

  • Do you have tired or burning eyes or rub your eyes frequently?

  • Do you or a family member have difficulty seeing at night?

If you answered yes to more than one question for yourself or a family member, or if it's been longer than one to three years depending on your age or doctor's recom-mendation since you or a family member last had an eye exam, it's time to schedule an appointment.