Right Time to Visit an Optometrist

In America, far too few people keep up with their preventative healthcare schedules. Those who pay attention to such things are likely to see their dentist twice a year and get their annual physicals. However, too few people visit an optometrist when they should. Optometry visits are not just for people with glasses or contacts; everyone should see an optometrist regularly. When is the right time for you to get Southwest Orlando eye care in Orlando, FL? Keep reading to find out.

How Often to Visit an Optometrist

If you’re hesitant to add another doctor’s appointment to your list of healthcare needs every year, there is some good news: You likely don’t have to see your optometrist every year. If you don’t have any known vision impairments or eye health issues, you can go to the optometrist less often. Here’s the recommended schedule for eye doctor visits based on age, for those with no existing ocular illnesses and no need for prescription lenses:

• Ages 39 and under – Once every five years
• Ages 40 to 65 – Once every two years
• Ages 65 and up – Every year

If it’s been longer than the recommended interval since you last saw your optometrist, the best time to make an optometry appointment is right now.

Why Regular Checkups Matter

If you don’t have a prescription and don’t have any health issues that impact your vision, then why does it matter that you get regular checkups from an optometrist? Just as with your other regular health checkups with your doctor and your dentist, seeing your optometrist regularly can help to detect any changes in your vision or eye health and prevent them from progressing.

Vision problems can develop over time, especially in today’s world of prolonged screen usage. However, the change in your visual acuity can be so gradual that you won’t notice it yourself. Only by visiting an optometrist and receiving a comprehensive vision screening, many people realize their eyesight has declined. You can then get the proper prescription to improve your visual acuity again and avoid issues like persistent headaches and eye strain, which are often caused by poor vision.

Other ocular health issues can also develop with time and require the attention of an optometrist to correct them. Persistent dry eye can become a problem with age, for example, and an optometrist can offer you treatment options that can help you manage the symptoms and avoid potential complications related to chronic dry eye, including future eye infections. Without these regular visits, you may not handle these ocular health needs appropriately and end up with bigger complications down the road that could cause long-term damage to your eyes.

When to Make an Extra Appointment with Your Eye Doctor

Sometimes, you may need to see your eye doctor in between your regular eye screenings. But how do you know if you need to make that extra appointment to see your optometrist? Here are a few instances in which you should consider making an extra visit:

• Constant headaches – Everybody gets headaches from time to time. Still, if you have headaches daily and nothing else seems to alleviate the problem, a visit to your optometrist might help. Your headaches could be related to vision problems, so addressing their root cause will likely help to alleviate that pain.
• Eye infections – It can be difficult to recognize the symptoms of an eye infection because their early stages can often mimic allergies. They may become dry, red, itchy, and watery. However, if allergy medication doesn’t seem to help, or if the issues progress to blurred vision and eye secretions, you likely have an infection that requires an optometrist’s attention.
• Vision changes – While most changes to your vision will happen slowly and almost gradually over time. You should visit your optometrist if you notice any sudden changes to your vision. Suddenly blurry vision, persistent spots in your vision, or loss of peripheral vision can indicate serious eye health problems that require immediate attention.

If it’s time for you to see an optometrist, contact Bay Hill Eye Care today or stop by one of our eyeglass stores in Orlando.