Stay Up-to-Date with Your Eye Exams

Some eye problems might be hereditary or congenital. Therefore, you should consider an eye exam a few months after your child’s birth. During the eye exam, the optometrist can identify potential eye problems and recommend treatments.

If the eye problems are left untreated, they might progress. Worst case scenario, you might be at risk of losing your sight.

When to Go for an Eye Exam

Some factors might determine how often you need an eye exam. The determining factors include your age, health status, and the risk of developing vision-related complications. Below is what the eye doctor near you would recommend according to the patient or client’s age.

Infants

For children under three years, the eye doctor will check for signs such as a lazy eye, crossed, or misaligned eyes. If there are signs of eye problems, the doctor will carry out a detailed eye exam regardless of their age. However, the eye doctor might recommend a comprehensive eye exam between three and five years.

School-aged Children

Before your kids enter first grade, the eye doctor might recommend an eye exam. If your child doesn’t have potential eye problems or family history, you can take them for checkups after two years. Else, you can take your child for eye exams according to the doctor’s advice.

Adults

The frequency of adult eye exams varies depending on the patient’s age group. For people between 20 and 30 years, they can visit the eye doctor after every ten years. For people above 40 years, they can visit the eye doctor for exams after one to four years. Otherwise, you can consider the doctor’s recommendations.

However, you should consider having your eyes checked regularly if you have the following:

• Wear contact lenses or eyeglasses
• Your family has a history of eye conditions or loss of vision
• Have an underlying health condition that might increase the risk of developing eye problems
• Under medications that might have side effects on your eyes

Preparing for an Eye Exam

When preparing for eye exams in Castle Rock, CO, you can choose an eye specialist depending on the nature of your eyes. For an eye exam, you consider an optometrist near you. when going to the eye clinic, you can carry your prescriptions such as contact lenses and eyeglasses.

Your eye doctor might recommend you bring sunglasses to wear after the eye exam since your eyes might be dilated. However, dilation of the pupils is safe. Therefore, you don’t have to panic before the eye exam. With dilated eyes, you might feel uncomfortable when you face the sun and bright light.

What to Expect During the Eye Exam

If it is your first eye exam or one with a new eye doctor, you can anticipate questions about your vision history. By reviewing your medical history and your current signs, the eye doctor. During the procedure, your eye doctor might recommend the following:

Eye muscle test. During the eye muscle test, the eye doctor near you will check your eyes’ ability to coordinate. Your eye doctor will check your eye movements by moving an object in front of your eyes.

• Visual acuity test. Your eye doctor will carry out a visual acuity test to check how you can see without difficulties. During the eye test, the doctor will ask you to differentiate between different colors or alphabets printed on a chart.
• Refraction assessment. To check for conditions such as myopia or hypermetropia, the eye doctor might recommend a refractive assessment test. Your optometrist might use a computerized refractor to check the degree of refractive error.
• Color vision test. You might have a color deficiency and not notice. Therefore, if you can’t distinguish between different colors, your doctor might recommend color vision testing to confirm the diagnosis.
• Visual Field Test. Your visual field entails what you can see on the side without moving your eyes. To determine if you have difficulties seeing anything within your visual field, the eye doctor might recommend such as test.
• Glaucoma Test. A glaucoma screening is significant to check fluid pressure within your eyeballs. Therefore, the doctor will recommend a glaucoma test to prevent complications that might lead to blindness.

Also, your eye doctor at Founders Eyecare might recommend a slit-lamp and retinal examination during the routine eye exam.