Scrolling through cheap glasses online? But when was the last time you got your eyes checked?
Your prescription can keep changing due to so many unavoidable factors, including age, screen exposure and hereditary. Wearing the wrong prescription glasses can worsen your vision and cause severe discomfort or even health hazards in extreme cases. To keep optical problems at bay and ensure that your vision is healthy, regular eye exams are essential. Not only do they confirm what your prescription is, but they also play a significant role in assessing your eye health. But how often do you need these tests? Let’s discuss the recommended frequency of getting an eye test and signs to watch out for in between.
Expert-recommended frequency for eye exams
How often a person needs an eye exam will depend on their age and any existing risk factors or eye conditions:
Adults (19 to 60 years)
Adults with no potential risk factors or eye conditions must get a comprehensive eye exam every two years. But if you already have a prescription or a family history of eye diseases, you may need these exams more frequently. As adults with high blood pressure or diabetes are at a higher risk of eye-related complications, they should have eye exams annually.
Seniors (60 years and above)
It’s important to monitor the eye health of people aged 60 and above to ensure that any potential vision issues are tackled straight away. It plays a major role in keeping a track of age-related optical problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Hence, seniors are advised to get comprehensive eye exams more frequently.
Children up to 18 years of age
Children do not need a comprehensive eye exam until they turn six months. However, they should get a subsequent exam at the age of three and after that, every one to two years, as required.
Why do you need eye exams regularly?
Here are the main reasons you need to get eye exams regularly:
- Regular eye exams help you detect and treat potential eye diseases in time, minimising the chances of further complications.
- Maintaining clear vision becomes easier with regular eye tests as you get to address vision problems with timely medical intervention.
- There are some critical health conditions that develop with symptoms in the eyes. Hence, regular eye exams can also help monitor your overall health.
- For those who already have a prescription, regular eye checks are essential to ensure that they’re wearing an up-to-date glasses or contact lens prescription, while enjoying optimal visual acuity.
Signs to watch out for in between?
Many people ignore getting a regular eye exam thinking that they don’t need it. If you’re also turning down the thought of scheduling your next comprehensive eye exam believing that your vision is perfect after all these years, you might be avoiding some signs that ensure that you need a new prescription:
- Headaches: Recurring headaches are one of the most common symptoms of a change in prescription. If you are nearsighted, you might experience pain in the front of your head or above your right eyebrow. Whereas farsighted people are more likely to experience headaches when they’re trying to focus their vision on a particular thing for a considerable time.
- Fatigue: If your eyes are feeling fatigued, it can be because of several different reasons, like lack of sleep, seasonal allergies and even a change in your prescription power. While fatigue from other reasons doesn’t last long, prescription change can make you experience fatigue all the time.
- Squinting: Squinting or straining your eyes is a natural process for focus improvement. However, constant squinting can be stressful for your eyes, worsening your vision problems. Therefore, very clearly and reasonably, squinting is associated with the need of vision correction.
If you’re experiencing these signs, it’s about time you schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist. And if you have an up-to-date prescription to hand, make sure to shop from a reputable retailer to buy high-quality yet cheap glasses online. Visit Feel Good Contacts – a one-stop-shop for all your eyewear and eyecare needs. Whether you need glasses, prescription sunglasses or comfortable contact lenses, you can find them all in one place. Simply enter your up-to-date prescription and shop from a wide range of brands and collections with incredible discounts and remember to take 10% off your first order.
