Is Your Vision Getting Worse? It's Time for an Eye Exam - CNET

I got my first existent oculus exam this year. My imaginativeness has ever been bully enough, truthful I got by without getting a check-up. But here's the thing. Our brains are really bully astatine adapting to gradual imaginativeness changes, which makes you deliberation you don't request glasses. Spoiler alert: I person glasses now. 

Eye exams aren't lone to find the prime of your vision. They're besides astir checking up connected your oculus health. Optometrists and ophthalmologists code wide oculus wellness and surface for oculus diseases similar glaucoma, cataracts and uncommon cancers similar ocular melanoma. 

What does an oculus exam do?

There are 2 main functions of an oculus exam -- assessing your imaginativeness and checking for diseases. Let's speech astir wherefore each is needed. 

Address and close imaginativeness issues

A broad oculus exam typically includes a visual acuity test and a refraction oculus exam. The ocular acuity trial examines your imaginativeness for each eye. It's the 1 everyone knows -- your doc volition inquire you to screen 1 oculus and work the letters connected the screen. A refraction oculus exam involves looking done a instrumentality with respective lens options you compare. This is however your doc determines your prescription. 

Regular oculus exams assistance way your imaginativeness implicit time. As we age, our eyes change, which affects vision. Presbyopia is the earthy nonaccomplishment of flexibility of the lens of the eye. This information makes it harder to absorption connected adjacent objects -- similar books and computers. Many radical spot this alteration successful their imaginativeness successful their mid-forties. 

Assess for oculus diseases 

Even if you don't request glasses to function, you should inactive support up with regular oculus examinations. Not lone are they a accidental to measure your oculus wellness and hazard of diseases similar macular degeneration oregon cataracts, but they guarantee you get the attraction you request aboriginal earlier your imaginativeness is compromised. Your doc volition measure your hazard of communal oculus problems done pupil dilation. Think of your pupil arsenic the model into your eye; by making the pupil bigger, your doc tin spot into the structures of the eye.  

Eye diseases tin person fewer oregon nary symptoms. Eye exams and dilations are the champion mode to drawback issues and signifier a attraction plan. 

Eye diseases and conditions your doc whitethorn cheque for:

• Cataracts: Cataracts picture the clouding of the lens. It tin hap successful a scope of severity, with immoderate tiny capable that it doesn't interaction your vision. However, cataracts tin go ample capable to compromise your vision. 
• Glaucoma: Glaucoma happens erstwhile determination is excessively overmuch fluid unit successful the eye. It tin harm the optic nervus and earnestly harm vision. 
• Age-related macular degeneration: Associated with aging, AMD affects the cardinal imaginativeness of the eyes. AMD makes a idiosyncratic incapable to spot things clearly, affecting their quality to bash regular tasks similar driving. 
• Diabetic retinopathy: An eye condition that tin make successful anyone who has benignant 1 oregon benignant 2 diabetes and affects the retina. It tin pb to terrible imaginativeness nonaccomplishment and blindness.
• Ocular melanoma: According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, ocular melanoma is simply a uncommon signifier of crab that develops successful the eye cells that nutrient pigment. It mostly occurs successful the uvea oregon the mediate furniture of the eye. Because it is not connected the aboveground and often not disposable to the bare eye, examinations that dilate the oculus are often the lone mode to observe it.

Medical conditions similar diabetes oregon precocious humor pressure tin impact however good you spot and summation your hazard for oculus diseases. So it's important to docket a regular oculus exam to guarantee you're doing the close things for your vision. Some medications besides impact the eyes. 

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How often should you get an oculus exam?

By now, you astir apt cognize wherefore oculus exams are important. But however often should you beryllium scheduling one? Several factors find however often you should get an oculus exam -- age, wellness and household history. 

The wide guidelines for oculus exams, according to the American Optometric Association, are arsenic follows: 

• Under 5 years: Babies person their archetypal oculus exam betwixt six months and a twelvemonth of age. The adjacent exam for this property radical should hap betwixt the ages of 3 and five. 
• 6 to 18 years: Yearly oculus exams are recommended for this property radical arsenic their imaginativeness tin alteration arsenic they grow. 
• 19 to 64 years: At slightest each 2 years, this property radical should docket an oculus exam to papers changes successful their vision. 
• 65+ years: Annual oculus exams are recommended for seniors. 

If you autumn into immoderate of these categories but person medicine glasses, your doc volition urge getting an yearly exam, particularly if you person a medicine that needs to beryllium renewed for contacts.

The same is existent if you're astatine risk for oculus diseases, are taking medications that impact your imaginativeness oregon person had an oculus injury. 

Factors that necessitate much predominant oculus exams:

• Having a medicine for glasses oregon contacts.
• A household past of imaginativeness problems oregon oculus diseases. 
• Living with a chronic illness that increases your accidental of oculus disease. 
• Taking medications that tin interaction your eyes and vision.
• Having a erstwhile oculus wounded oregon oculus surgery. 

Too long; didn't read?

Eye exams aren't conscionable to close imaginativeness with glasses, though that is the main relation for galore people. Eye exams are often the lone mode to observe and dainty oculus diseases and conditions that different don't contiguous symptoms. It's important to way your imaginativeness changes and drawback oculus troubles earlier they start. 

Adults should beryllium getting a comprehensive oculus exam astatine slightest each 2 years. People with hazard factors for oculus diseases oregon who deterioration glasses should get yearly oculus exams.