Expert Eye Doctors in Nassau County, NY Share Why You Need To Go and Get Your Eyes Checked

Vision is one of the most important senses to the human body, but more often than not. Yearly eye exam recommendations are taken through measuring of visual acuity with vision screening by an eye doctor. Instead, people put off having their eyes examined until something starts drastically changing or it’s too late to fix declining eyesight.

Even if someone doesn’t have any issues or worries about their eyesight, they must get their eyes checked regularly. The brain is an incredible adaptor and, as someone’s vision fades or changes, the brain can very quickly accommodate to fill in any gaps or blind spots.

When this happens, people can often feel that their vision is fine when they’re actually in desperate need to see an optometrist or ophthalmologist. In short, most vision professionals recommend that everyone has their vision tested at least once every two years, but people with vision problems may need to visit their optometrists in Nassau County once a year or more to make sure their eyes stay healthy.

However, the specifics of how often a person needs an eye exam will often vary depending on age, medical history, current vision problems, and other risk factors.

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Vision Care By Age

6 Months – 20 years

  • It’s recommended that children have their eyes tested at six months old unless their pediatrician recommends earlier tests because they have spotted signs or risk factors for vision loss. When a child is old enough to join kindergarten or first grade, optometrists recommend that their vision is tested again.
  • Risk factors for vision problems include:
  • Premature birth
  • Low birth weight
  • Infection during pregnancy
  • History of illness after birth
  • Crossed eyes
  • Family history of vision problems
  • Developmental delays

If there are no issues with the child’s vision, then it’s recommended that they have their eyes checked every two years unless they are showing signs of vision problems. If they have been prescribed glasses, they’ll need to have their prescription verified every six months to a year to ensure the prescription is still accurate as, when they’re young, their eyesight will change rapidly.

Make sure to look out for the following signs of vision problems in children:

  • Headaches or fatigue
  • Unusual inattention at school, because they can’t read the materials
  • Complaining about double vision
  • Holding reading materials too close or far away from the face
  • Winking one eye for better focus

When parents spot these signs in their children, they need to make sure to book an appointment with an optometrist or ophthalmologist to assess the problem and prescribe glasses if needed.

Between 20-39 Years Old

At this age, a person’s vision should be changing less often than when they were children. People who wear glasses or contact lenses will often find that their prescription changes less often, and they may not need to change their lenses every time they have an eye examination.

At this age, it’s recommended that people have their eyes tested every two to three years if they don’t wear glasses or corrective lenses. If they do, then they should book an eye examination yearly. Because a person’s vision shouldn’t be changing rapidly, booking yearly eye exams in Nassau County can spot the early signs of rapid vision loss or any other vision problems.

Certain health conditions can also impact vision, with conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure often impacting eye health. For people with these conditions or people who work with computers or display devices regularly, it’s also recommended that they have their eyes tested once a year.

It’s also important to book an eye examination if someone suffers an injury to their eyes to ensure that any damage to their vision is caught and treated early.

People with a family history of vision problems or eye disease should also consider booking a yearly eye exam.

Between 40-64 Years Old

At this age, it’s common for people to begin developing age-related far-sighted vision, or presbyopia, which is caused by the lens of the eye hardening. This can start happening from age 35 onwards, so if someone finds that they’re struggling to see things that are close to them, they should look for eye doctors in Nassau County and get a prescription for corrective lenses if they need them.

65+ Years Old

From the age of 65, it’s recommended that everyone has a complete eye examination every year. It’s from this age that vision loss is likely to accelerate, people will begin developing cataracts, or any health conditions will begin having a detrimental effect on eye health.

Risk factors that seniors need to be aware of include:

  • Previous eye surgery, injury, or trauma
  • Health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure
  • Family history of age-onset vision problems like cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration

At this age, seniors should also book an eye examination if they notice any rapid or sudden onset changes in their vision, regardless of any previous or existing issues.

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Vision Care and Health Conditions

Diabetes

Both types of diabetes can cause vision problems, particularly if the person has had diabetes for years or their diabetes has been left untreated. Diabetes can cause a condition called diabetic retinopathy, which is where the retina is damaged by the expansion of blood vessels in the eye.

Diabetes can also cause increased pressure in the eye, or glaucoma, and can be a risk factor for developing cataracts.

If someone has diabetes, it’s recommended that they have a complete eye examination once a year to make sure any vision problems caused by diabetes are caught early.

High Blood Pressure

Untreated high blood pressure can cause damage to the delicate blood vessels in and around the eyes, which can lead to the development of diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and a variety of other vision problems.

Optometrists and ophthalmologists will also be able to detect the signs of high blood pressure in the eye.

People with high blood pressure should seek an eye examination at least once a year.

Lyme Disease

If a person contracts Lyme disease, it can potentially result in conjunctivitis and inflammation of the optic nerve, retina blood vessels, or uveitis (middle of the eye). Someone that has Lyme disease should seek an eye exam at least once a year until they no longer have the disease. It’s recommended that people with ongoing Lyme infection symptoms following developing Lyme disease continue to have yearly eye exams.

Autoimmune Conditions

Autoimmune conditions vary as to whether they affect the eye directly, but they can increase the risk of eye pain, light sensitivity, and vision loss. Early symptoms of autoimmune conditions affecting the eye include red, itchy, or dry eyes.

For people with autoimmune conditions, they should seek a yearly eye exam, and make sure to visit optometrists in Nassau County if they begin having issues with eye pain or vision changes.

Liver Disease

Liver diseases like cirrhosis or haemochromatosis can lead to the development of dry, itchy eyes. It can also lead to the collection of fat on a person’s eyelids which can cause corneal and lens damage if it’s left untreated.

People with liver disease should visit an optometrist at least once a year for a full eye examination.

Sickle Cell Disease

People with sickle cell disease, or related diseases that cause their blood cells to be abnormally shaped, have an increased risk of damaged blood vessels in the eye that can lead to vision loss and blindness.

It’s recommended that these people book an eye examination at least once a year to monitor for any changes and treat them in a timely manner.

Complete vs. Routine Eye Exam

When booking an eye exam, it’s not uncommon to come across optometrists that offer a complete eye examination, or a comprehensive eye exam, as well as a follow-up or routine eye exam.

Both of these exams are vital to maintaining healthy vision, but they both involve different assessments of a person’s eye health. When this article talks about booking an eye exam once every year or two, this means that a person should consider booking a complete eye exam.

Complete Eye Examinations

A complete or comprehensive eye exam can take between an hour and two hours to complete, depending on what tests an optometrist thinks are necessary. This is because a complete eye test will assess a person’s vision, overall health, and eye health.

The optometrist or ophthalmologist will review your medical history and notes and will take note of any changes to a person’s lifestyle that could present a risk factor.

To test vision, a person will be asked to read from the standard Snellen Eye Chart. Depending on the results of this test, further tests may be done with diagnostic tools to determine any refractive errors that might affect a person’s vision. If a person has vision problems, the eye exam may also include eye focusing tests to see if there are any issues with how each eye focuses and how well they work together.

This type of eye exam will also use diagnostic tools to look at the internal and external parts of the eye to look for and diagnose any potential problems. If any problems are found, the person being examined may be referred to specialists for further examination, or the optometrist may be able to provide some treatment or advice at the appointment.

If the optometrist or ophthalmologist discovers vision problems, they may also prescribe glasses or contact lenses at the end of the examination to correct it. They will also ensure the person knows how regularly they need to come back.

As mentioned earlier, complete eye examinations need to be done at least once a year for someone who has health conditions that can affect eye health or vision. For people who are concerned about a sudden change in their vision, or any new eye health concerns that they have, they should also book a complete eye exam.

Routine Eye Examinations

Routine eye examinations are intended to be shorter appointments for people who need their glasses or contact lens prescriptions checking. During these examinations, the person will have a brief vision examination, usually with the Snellen Eye Chart.

At these appointments, optometrists and ophthalmologists should have test results from a recent eye examination to work with, so they will only need to test a person’s vision to make sure they still have the right corrective lenses.

A person may also have a routine eye exam if they’ve recently suffered eye trauma or an eye injury to ensure the eye is healing correctly. Again, this will follow a more in-depth complete eye examination.

How Often Should You Get an Eye Exam: In Summary

Healthy adults should book a complete eye exam at least once every two years, or once every year if they wear corrective lenses. Adults with health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, or with a family history of eye health issues or vision problems should also visit optometrists in Nassau Country once a year for a complete eye exam.

Seniors, regardless of health issues, should also have a complete eye exam once a year, as they’re at the age where eye health and vision issues are more likely to develop.

Children should have their first eye exam at six months of age, and once again before they start kindergarten or first grade. Children who are prescribed glasses should have eye examinations every six months as their vision will change rapidly and they will often need a new prescription regularly.

Because eye exams can spot problems with eye health or vision early, it’s vital that people don’t skip their regular eye examinations.

Looking for optometrists in Nassau County? Spectacular Eyewear offers comprehensive eye examinations as well as emergency eye care, helping everyone to take care of their eye health. Not only that, but they offer a wide range of eyeglasses in Nassau County, with luxury frames from designers like Tom Ford as well as budget options. If an eye exam is due, or the reader has concerns about their eye health or vision, book an eye exam today.