The Importance of Annual Eye Exams
Many eye and vision problems have no signs or symptoms, which means you may not even realize there’s a problem until your sight begins to diminish. For this reason alone, periodic comprehensive eye exams are key to maintaining good vision and healthy eyes.
Preventative care isn’t the only reason to have a yearly eye exam. Your eye doctors will determine which vision tests are best for you, but many adult eye exams include a variety of small tests that help monitor the health of your eyes while looking for potential eye diseases.
What Is An Eye Exam?
During your eye exam, your optometrist will do much more than determine your eye glasses or contact lens prescription. You will be checked for common eye diseases, test how your eyes work as a team and evaluate your overall health through symptomatic problem within or near your eyes. Some tests you’ll experience during your eye exams include:
- Visual Acuity:
- Visual acuity measurements evaluate how clearly each eye is seeing. Reading charts are frequently used during this test.
- Preliminary Test:
- Preliminary tests may include evaluations of depth perception, peripheral or side vision, eye muscle movements, color vision, and how your pupils react to light.
- Keratometry:
- Your eye doctor will focus a circle of light on your cornea to measure its reflection. This test tells your optometrist the curvature of the cornea. This is commonly performed for accurate contact lens fitting.
- Refraction:
- A refraction test determines the lens power you need to compensate for nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Your eye doctor may use eye drops during this test to keep your eyes from changing focus.
- Eye Focusing:
- An eye focusing test determines how well your eyes focus, move and work together. This test helps your doctor see problems that prevent your eyes from focusing effectively or keeps them from working well together.
Who Needs An Annual Eye Exam?
A yearly eye exam is recommended for all ages, even if you have generally good vision. Adult eye exams can help you stay current with your prescription and help your eye doctors detect any eye diseases or vision problems.
Children should also get eye exams as they often do not speak up if they have poor vision, simply because they do not recognize anything is wrong. A yearly eye exam will help your eye doctor determine if your child needs glasses or may be susceptible to any types of eye diseases.
And for those who have had LASIK eye surgery or have naturally good vision, you should still get an annual eye exam. Just like a yearly physical, an annual eye check-up for those with healthy eyes creates a history of your eye health while offering preventative eye care.
Vision Screening vs. Eye Exams
It’s important to know that a vision screening is not a replacement for an eye exam. In fact, a vision screening is often a preliminary step into a comprehensive exam. Vision screenings offer just a fraction of the information received during a full exam.
Detroit Eye Doctor – Vision Institute Michigan
No matter your vision, your age or general health, a routine, comprehensive eye exam is essential to good eye health. Do not wait until your computer screen gets fuzzy or you have to be right up on a street sign before you can read it clearly. Schedule your routine eye exam today!
If you are looking for a Detroit eye doctor, Vision Institute Michigan is the perfect choice. We currently have two locations in Sterling Heights and Macomb to conveniently serve our patients. Schedule your routine eye exam today!