How often should I have my Eyes Examined?

Depending on age, potential risks, and physical condition, experts suggest a complete eye exam once every one to three years. Aside from instances where symptoms emerge, children should see an optometrist by six months of age, at age three, once school begins, and approximately every two years throughout school. Adults under the age of 40 are suggested by the American Optometric Association (AOA) to have an eye exam every two to three years, however, if the individual wears glasses or contacts they should have an annual checkup. As you mature, it is a good idea to have an eye exam every one to two years to meet your vision needs and reduce risk of eye disease.

Information to Bring to Your Eye Exam

Midwest Eye Care has a very simple process to make your first visit easier. A copy of your insurance card and, if you wear glasses or contacts, a recent prescription is all you need to get started. Patients can also expect to fill out basic family health history to help us better meet your needs.

General Testing Procedures

To help you better understand what to expect from an eye exam, here are a few tests you may encounter during your visit:

Retinoscopy:

This test gets everything started by looking at the overall health of your eyes. The physician will get a basic idea of the quality of your vision and see how light reflects from your eyes by having you stare an object while shining a light in your eyes and shuffling different lenses in front of you.

Refraction:

Now the physician can pinpoint your prescription by pulling a phoropter in front of you, which looks like an oversized mask. Flipping through different lenses, our specialists can pinpoint your exact lens power.

Cover test:

Everyone knows that two is better than one. Your eyes are no different, but they don’t always work together perfectly. The physician will ask you to focus on an object in the room with one eye covered then he’ll do the same for your other eye. This process tests for amblyopia (lazy eye) and poor depth perception by comparing how long it takes to completely focus each eye on the object.

Slit-Lamp test:

Using a special microscope called a biomicroscope or slit lamp, the physician can closely examine the components of your inner eye. Major eye problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration, corneal ulcers, diabetic eye disease, and other problems are found in this process.

Glaucoma test:

Glaucoma is abnormal, extensive pressure of the eyes that leads to partial or complete blindness. In this exam, the physician will apply a few numbing drops and places a device on the eyes to measure the pressure by contact.

Dilation:

Using a few eye drops to widen and relax the pupil muscles, the physician gets a good look into your eyes.

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