Eye Issues

How often should I check my eyes?

It is difficult to function in society as a visually impaired person. You can’t read newspapers, shop, travel, cook, watch TV, etc. Some of these conditions can be remedied by visual aids like spectacles, contacts, or special low vision aids. As well, many eye conditions can present without any signs or symptoms, so you may not even be aware that you have a problem. To find out what aids can benefit you specifically, you need to get your eyes examined by an optometrist. In addition, with most eye diseases, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment are critical in maintaining good vision. In most countries, there is a great emphasis placed on routine preventative health care. People go annually for medical, dental and optometric examinations. Unfortunately, here in Guyana, people tend to go to the doctor only when they develop a problem. How often you get your eyes examined will depend on your age, race, medical history, family history of eye disease, among other factors. If your symptoms are severe and occur suddenly, you need to be seen as soon as possible.

How often should the eyes of infants and children be checked?

Newborns are typically screened at birth for congenital eye disorders and disease. As well, in most countries prophylactic (preventative) antibiotic eye drops/ointment are usually given at birth. In addition, all infants should receive an evaluation for vision problems and eye disease by an eye doctor by 6 months of age or sooner if abnormalities or risk factors are present. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to for proper visual development, to prevent vision loss due to congenital eye diseases like paediatric cataract, and to manage hereditary or congenital eye disorders such as lazy eye or crossed eyes. If there are no problems, children should get their eyes examined at 3 years of age and before entering school. Children who do not see clearly will not be able to see the blackboard or letters in a book clearly, and this will interfere with their ability to learn.

What about school-age children?

Children do not know if they are seeing as well as they should. They have nothing to compare it with. They may have a visual problem with one eye, but because they see clearly, don’t realize that they’re using only the good eye to see with. An eye exam is critical to discover problems like this. If your child wears glasses, the vision may change frequently during the school years. This is related to the physical growth of the child. The most common problems are due to the development and progression of nearsightedness (myopia). In addition, the existence of eye focusing and/or eye coordination problems may affect school performance as there is a lot of reading to do at this age. Periodic examinations are recommended, usually every year. If your child is complaining about having problems seeing the board, or reading, or headaches, take them to the optometrist to get their eyes checked.

How often should adults get their eyes examined?

Annual eye examinations are recommended for adults, especially those with systemic eye diseases like diabetes or hypertension (high blood pressure). Patients with eye diseases like glaucoma are usually seen more regularly. Once adults reach close to 40 years old, they start experiencing problems seeing images up close (presbyopia). This is a normal condition related to changes in the lens of the eye that is responsible for focusing images on the retina. This condition leads to deteriorating near vision over the next 20 or so years. The distance vision does not change significantly during this time. As you get older, too, you are more likely to develop cataracts, macular degeneration, or glaucoma. Glaucoma is an eye disease with no signs nor symptoms in the early stages, so it’s only through a regular eye examination that it is usually picked up.