Eyes are one of the most precious organs of the human body. Regular check ups by an optometrist or ophthalmologist are a must. Apart from revealing important information about your eyes, a proper eye check-up can also uncover other health issues.

Regular Eye Checkups Are A Must - Here's Why

Vision is a complex process of focusing captured light and translating them into images, all at a very rapid pace. But the older we get, the more damage and disease prone our eyes become. Therefore, regular check-ups are a necessity.

When Should You Have An Eye Exam?

There are certain factors like age, health and other aspects that need to be considered before deciding on the frequency of eye exams.

0- 5 Years - If your child is under 3, your paediatrician will check for common eye problems including crossed eyes, lazy eye or turned-out eyes. However, a comprehensive test should be conducted by the time your child turns 5.

5 To 20 Year Old - If no vision problems have been reported before the child joins school, and if there isn't a history of vision problems, it is ideal to check your child's vision every two years. If there is indeed a problem, get it checked as per the advice of your eye doctor.

Adults - Healthy vision with no issues? Have your eyes checked twice or more frequently in a decade if you are in your 20s and 30s. Once you turn 40, check every 2 years. In case of a history of vision problems, it is ideal to have your eyes checked more frequently.

How to Prepare For Your Eye Exam?

Once you have made an appointment to get your eyes checked, list out the questions you want to ask, and be prepared to answer the your doctor's questions. These include your family eye health history, the medications you have taken in the past and are taking currently, etc

If you use glasses/contacts, take them along with you as well as a pair of sunglasses to travel back home safely with dilated pupils.

What Does The Doctor Check For?

Apart from assessing your vision for glasses or contacts, an eye doctor would check for eye diseases as well as other problems. Some of the common problems thus identified include:

Refractive Error - nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, all created due to refractive errors. These are easily treated with eyeglasses, contacts, or refractive surgery.

Strabismus - When the two eyes look at different directions, it is called strabismus. It can cause problems with depth perception.

Amblyopia - When both the eyes are either not looking in the same direction (Strabismus), or if they have massive variations in prescription, the brain shuts off the image of one of the eyes. If not taken care of, Amblyopia can lead to permanent vision impairment of the affected eye.

Focus Issues - Badly developed focus issues in children and age related (presbyopia) focus issues in old people.

Eye & Other Diseases - Doctors look out for eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy which are hard to detect early. Also, there are other problems such as blood pressure and high cholesterol that can be detected from your eyes.