When Do you Need an Eye Exam?

As per the American Optometric Association (AOA) recommendation, an annual eye exam is required to maintain eye health. Ophthalmologists also suggest that one should get their eyes checked every year, as eyes vision has chances of changing even over a year.

As per the expert, the majority of adults who are prescribed glasses at a younger age don’t use them, as they figure out they can sustain without glasses. The main problem arises when they turn 40; at this age, they not only have to deal with farsightedness but also nearsightedness.

Many tend to ignore an annual eye exam believing that an eye exam is required only when serious eye condition occurs. Whatever the reason may be, even if one doesn’t go for an annual eye checkup, eyes eventually show signs whenever the need arises. Instead of overlooking these signs, lookout for signs that suggest the need for an eye exam.

Here are several signs indicating the need for an eye exam: 

Frequent headaches – When cornea and lens fail to focus on images, small muscles present in the eye are required to work harder for focusing, leading to eye strain. This strain causes a headache around an eye or temple area. Frequent headache indicates undergoing eye test to see if there is need glasses to correct their eye mechanism of focusing on the image.

Blurred vision –  The newspaper headline that you used to ready very clearly one year back now looks blurred. Blurry vision means a lack of sharpness of vision, making things appear out of focus and unclear. The prime reasons for blurred vision are refractive errors and can be treated with refractive error correction methods. Schedule an eye exam if you notice the blurry vision.

Difficulty seeing at night –  Few people experience trouble in reading street signs at night or even eye irritation on seeing incoming headlight while driving. The problem in seeing at night maybe because of intensified farsightedness in the dark. Finding it harder to see at night can also be symptoms of early cataracts. Visit your nearest opthalmologist or eye care center to confirm the cause of difficulty seeing at night. 

Eye strain or fatigue – Eye fatigue is the outcome of blurry vision. It can also be caused when you always squint or blink to focus on items. Eye strain may also occur due to mobile phone addiction or continuously looking at the computer. Try taking proper breaks or adjust the lighting of a mobile, desktop to help avoid eye fatigue and strain. Afterall this also if fatigue continues, see your eye doctor.

Seeing halos – If you observe halos around things, it may indicate advancing cataracts or night vision conditions. These halos typically are more noticeable in the dark and surround objects.

Don’t remember when you last had your eye checked – whether it is more than a year or you don’t remember when was the last that you underwent eye checkup, this time that you may need an eye checkup. Adults should undergo eye checkups every year so as to stay updated with their glasses prescription or to know any early signs of eye issues. Children above age six should also get annual eye exams.

It’s suggested not to wait until the signs, as mentioned earlier, show up. An eye exam doesn’t only evaluate your eye health but also helps doctors to identify a broad spectrum of diseases like diabetes or cancer.