How often do Central Florida residents have eye exams? Chances are if you don’t wear prescription glasses or contact lenses, it isn’t very often. Even if you do need corrective lenses, you don’t visit the eye doctor as often as you should. 

Most people don’t put their vision on the top of their priority lists, but they should. 

Why are routine eye exams so important?

Routine eye exams are a vital part of staying healthy. More than just detecting small changes in your vision and handing out prescriptions, they can detect a number of eye and health conditions. Take glaucoma for instance, it is known as the “silent thief of sight”, because it sneaks up on many people without any symptoms and steals their vision before they can do anything about it.

How often should you visit the eye doctor?

The American Optometric Association recommends those who are asymptomatic or at low risk, have eye examinations, at least once between ages 3 and 5, before first grade and annually thereafter, every two years ages 18 through 64, and annually for those 65 and older. 

Those who are at risk should have exams more often, some factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, medial conditions, and family history of eye disease. 

What to expect during an eye exam

A comprehensive eye exam should take less than an hour. An hour is all it takes to save your vision!

The exam includes

Going over your family’s medical history, what type of medication you are taking, if any, and if you wear corrective lenses. 

Check your visual acuity, such as reading an eye chart and checking various distances. 

Check you muscle control in your eye, as well as strength and coordination. 

Check your pupils’ response to light and evaluate your rest for glaucoma. 

Measure the pressure in your eye, called tonometry.

Test your eye movement to evaluate ocular motility

Check your peripheral vision and have you look through a device with different lenses called a phoroptor.

The doctor may use eye drops to dilate your eyes to examine your optic nerve and retina. 

The fact is, we use our eyes for just about everything, they are irreplaceable!  But yet we often take them for granted. An eye exam doesn’t take much time, but they can save your sight!

When was the last time you had an eye exam? Contact Lake Nona Eye Care for all your eye care needs. We have two convenient locations Moss Park or Eagle Creek.