A Routine Eye Exam is a basic eye exam for glasses.
A routine eye exam includes a careful analysis of your eyesight and current glasses if applicable. A detailed health history and review of your vision needs helps the doctors direct their analysis of your current vision skills and abilities. Expert and scientific techniques will help ensure a prescription that helps you see your best. This exam includes a general health assessment of your eyes, including screening for glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration.
Routine Eye Exams Explained
Regardless of your age or physical health, it’s important to have regular eye exams.
During a complete eye exam at the Beltsville Costco, your eye doctor will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.
A comprehensive eye exam includes a number of tests and procedures to examine and evaluate the health of your eyes and the quality of your vision. These tests range from simple ones, like having you read an eye chart, to complex tests, such as using a high-powered lens to examine the health of the tissues inside of your eyes.
How Often Should You Have An Exam?
Eyecare experts recommend you have a complete eye exam every one to three years, depending on your age, risk factors, and physical condition.
Children
Some experts estimate that approximately 5% to 10% of pre-schoolers and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), all children should have their eyes examined at 6 months of age, at age 3 and again at the start of school. Children without vision problems or risk factors for eye or vision problems should then continue to have their eyes examined at least every two years throughout school.
Children with existing vision problems or risk factors should have their eyes examined more frequently. Common risk factors for vision problems include:
- premature birth
- developmental delays
- turned or crossed eyes
- family history of eye disease
- history of eye injury
- other physical illness or disease
The AOA recommends that children who wear eyeglasses or contact lenses should have their eyes examined at least every 12 months or according to their eye doctor’s instructions.
Adults
The AOA also recommends an annual eye exam for any adult who wears eyeglasses or contacts. If you don’t normally need vision correction, you still need an eye exam annually. Doctors often recommend more frequent examinations for adults with diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders, because many diseases can have an impact on vision and eye health.
If you are over 40, it’s a good idea to have your eyes examined every year to check for common age-related eye problems such as presbyopia, cataracts and macular degeneration. Because the risk of eye disease continues to increase with advancing age, everyone over the age of 60 should be examined annually.
To book your eye exam at the Beltsville Costco, click here.