Skip to main content

Who Should Have a Routine Eye Exam and How Often?

Who Should Have a Routine Eye Exam and How Often?

Your eyes are amazing tools for sight, with 7 million cone cells to see the world in color, 100 million rod cells to see in the dark, and light and dark rod cells allowing you to see an astounding range of gray. Having two eyes positioned on equidistant sides of the face gives you binocular vision, helping you perceive depth and gauge distances.

Getting eye exams is important to keep your eyes healthy. But how often should you get eye exams? Are some people in more need of them than others? Let’s look at these questions by examining what a routine eye exam includes, when you need to get them, and how often.

If you live in the Pelham Gardens, Bronx, New York area, and have problems with your eyes, the extensive team of doctors at Bronx Eye Associates can help.

What does a routine eye exam include?

During a routine eye exam, we look at your eyes using specialized equipment to assess their health and check for possible conditions such as astigmatism, glaucoma, and retinal neuropathy from diabetes. We ask questions about your health and family history and may include specific tests to check for refractive errors and vision changes.

We also use tools like corneal topography to check for astigmatism and tonometry to test for glaucoma. If we find evidence of problems with your eye muscles, such as in lazy or crossed eyes, our specialists can help. Overall an eye exam can help identify multiple illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, lupus, multiple sclerosis, arterial disease, and high cholesterol.

When do you need them and how often?

Generally, children under three years of age have their eyes checked regularly by a pediatrician to ensure healthy development and check for common childhood conditions like lazy eyes, crossed eyes, or misaligned eyes. 

School-age children need to have their eyes checked before kindergarten, but after that, exams can be done every one or two years if there are no vision changes or issues.

For the majority of adults, annual eye exams are recommended. This is especially true for anyone Who has diabetes hypertension, or other chronic health issues. Also, those who have any vision issues or wear glasses or contact lenses, should get an exam every year unless recommended otherwise. 

Taking care of your eyes is important to your overall health, so make sure to get those routine exams. When you’re ready, make an appointment with the team at Bronx Eye Associates to make sure your eyes stay healthy.

You Might Also Enjoy...

The Benefits of Treating Nearsightedness Early

The Benefits of Treating Nearsightedness Early

Vision problems are common, and myopia, or nearsightedness is a condition that affects millions of children and adults. Getting early treatment for this eye problem can make a big difference in your everyday life.
All About Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)

All About Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)

Seeing requires a complex series of functions in your eyes and several different illnesses can affect the quality of your vision. Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a condition that damages vision, but there is help.
5 Facts About Cataract Treatment

5 Facts About Cataract Treatment

Vision problems such as cataracts become more common as people age. If you’ve been recently diagnosed with cataracts, read on to find out what you should know about your treatment options.
Can Astigmatism Cause Headaches?

Can Astigmatism Cause Headaches?

Astigmatism can affect how light enters your eye making things harder to see. But could it lead to headaches? Read on to find out more about this connection.
3 Reasons Why You Have Watery Eyes

3 Reasons Why You Have Watery Eyes

Our bodies are largely made up of water and our tissue and organs need a certain amount of moisture to function properly. This water content provides lubrication for your eyes, but if they become too watery it could indicate problems.