Most of us tend to ignore the importance of taking care of our eyes. Just as you visit your doctor for other body checkups, you should also make efforts to visit an eye doctor regularly. In this blog, we will discuss, according to the age difference, how often you need to see an optometrist and which factors would require more checkups. We will also discuss the main benefits you get from visiting your eye doctor If you are already wearing glasses or eye contacts from contactlenses.co.uk.
Age six months to 20 years
One of the best ways to ensure a healthy eye is by scheduling regular appointments for an eye exam. If your child wears glasses, you must schedule these exams twice or more per year to keep the prescription accurate and not strain their eyes any further than necessary.
Ophthalmologists, Pediatricians, and optometrists recommend having an infant’s vision examined at six months of age. If you notice any signs of sight loss, it is a good idea that your child’s eyes are rechecked before kindergarten or first grade starts up.
If there are signs of potential strains on your children’s eyesight, such as squinting often or rubbing her temples excessively when reading too long without breaks, having them see an optometrist at least once every two years would be highly beneficial. This is because they can catch early telling symptoms like nearsightedness before those issues become compounded with time spent staring into screens all day!
Other factors that would need you to take your child to see optometrist include
- Having premature birth or low birth weight
- family history of eye diseases like glaucoma
- having crossed eyes (strabismus)
- infections during pregnancy such as AIDS, STDs, herpes, or rubella chickenpox)
- delay in development
It is possible to book an eye test online for your child at your comfort in this new era. Hence, if they experience any eye problems, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment for them.
Age 20 to 40
At this age, the young adults should visit an optometrist for at least two to three years. Since some begin to experience vision loss.
Cases that would need you to visit your optometrist more regular include:
- If you are already wearing glasses or eye contacts
- If there is a family history of eye infections
- Having a health condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes
- If you suffer from an eye injury or have gone through any eye surgery.
Age 41 and above
Many factors that come with aging affect your vision such as developing health conditions like high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. As you get older, your eyesight slowly begins to change. That is why most adults with 45+ years require reading glasses. Hence at this age, you should visit an optometrist at least once a year.
The factors that would need you to make regular visits to the eye doctor at this age include:
- A history of eye problems or surgery.
- A health condition such as diabetes.
- Family history of macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, or any other eye disease.
What are the benefits of making regular visits to the optometrist?
As stated, there are a lot of ways in which your vision can get affected. Hence you would truly benefit when you visit an eye doctor more often. Here are the three main benefits you can receive.
Treatment of sight health problems
At times you can never know the intensity of an eye problem until it has done some severe damage to your eyes. Hence making regular visits to the eye doctor is highly recommendable for the health of your eyes. For example, early detection of eye conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration can save your eyesight.
Early recognition of a health condition
Regular checkups may be beneficial in case you develop a health condition without knowing. The examinations conducted by the eye doctor will reveal some of the hidden signs of the disease. Such health conditions that an optometrist can detect include:
- Tumors
- Diabetes
- Liver disease
- High cholesterol
The doctors can tell the signs from diagnosing your eyes from how they appear, the pupil’s shape, and even from the pigmentation in your eyes.
General treatment of visual problems
As you grow, your eyesight can weaken from your day-to-day life activities such as staring at a screen the whole day. An optometrist has the correct equipment that can thoroughly examine your eye, give you the correct treatment, and reduce any additional risks of losing your vision. Your optometrist can also give you tips on how you can protect your vision from getting damaged.
Final Thoughts
Depending on your age, it is essential and bifacial to schedule appointments with your optometrist for an eye checkup. We take it for granted, but we should take care of the eyes as much as any other essential body organ. Book an eye examination online to know the well-being of your eyes.
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