"How often should I have my eyes and my family's eyes examined?"

Concerned parents and grandparents ask us this question so often that we have adressed this frequently asked question to educate all of our patients regarding the answer. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends comprehensive eye examinations once during infancy, once by age 3, once prior to starting school, and then at least once every two years from age 6 to age 60 for healthy patients with no new visual symptoms. Additionally, the AOA recommends more frequent yearly comprehensive eye examinations for certain at-risk patients, such as patients over age 60, patients who wear contact lenses, patients with new visual symptoms, patients with systemic conditions (especially diabetes and hypertension), and patients with a family history of eye diseases.

At Dove Valley Vision Center, we recommend at least one preschool eye examination* and annual eye examinations for all of our patients over age 6. Even mild changes in vision can cause a surprising degree of visual discomfort, like annoying eyestrain or glare, which can decrease productivity at work or school. Ironically, many very serious eye diseases, like glaucoma, begin with no symptoms at all. Therefore, we feel that annual eye examinations should be part of your family's wellness plan, like annual dental visits and physicals, and that annual eye examinations are essential to maintaining healthy eyes and clear vision.

Finally, regarding children's vision screenings, it is important for you to understand that the simplified vision screenings provided by the pediatrician or the school do NOT constitute a comprehensive eye examination! These vision screenings primarily screen for near-sightedness, but often miss far-sightedness, astigmatism, color vision disorders, eye tracking disorders, and other serious eye diseases that could slow your child's learning and development. Therefore, we urge you to make an appointment for any loved one who has not had a comprehensive eye examination in over two years. And, we will be sending you a reminder every year for your annual eye examination. We look forward to caring for you and your family, so that you may enjoy healthy eyes and clear vision for a lifetime!

*Your child's preschool comprehensive eye examination should be performed (1) any time before age 3, if recommended by your pediatrician during your well-baby visits; (2) by age 3, if your child was born prematurely or has developmental or systemic disease, or if you are concerned about a family history of eye disease, or if you feel that your child is not seeing normally or may have crossed eyes; (3) otherwise, by age 4 ½ to 5 is usually adequate.