How Often Should I Get My Eyes Checked?

Welcome to the Picton Eyecare blog, where we share insights and updates on eye health and vision care. I’m Dr. Nandita Chowdhury, and after a diverse 15-year career in optometry, I founded Picton Eyecare to offer customised vision solutions right here in Wollondilly Shire.

Understanding eye health and getting your eyes checked is crucial, especially in our community where healthcare resources may not always be readily available. My commitment is to ensure that all our patients experience life with clear and healthy vision.

The frequency of eye exams can vary depending on age, health, and risk factors, but a general rule is that adults should have their eyes checked every one to two years. Children, seniors over 65, and individuals with risk factors like diabetes, a family history of eye disease, or those who wear glasses or contact lenses may need more frequent exams, typically annually.

It’s always best to follow the advice of your optometrist, who can tailor the recommendation to your specific needs.

Understanding the Visual Acuity Test

Visual acuity testing is a standard part of any eye exam. It’s how we measure the sharpness of your vision. Typically, this involves reading letters off a Snellen chart positioned a set distance away. The results help us determine if you need corrective lenses and precisely how strong they should be. It’s a quick test, but it tells us a lot about how well you can see the world around you.

Your vision is a dynamic sense, subtly shifting over time in ways you might not immediately notice. Regular visual acuity tests are crucial because they catch these changes early on. Whether it’s a minor adjustment in your prescription or the early detection of an eye condition, staying on top of these changes can make a significant difference in your daily life. Clear vision means more than just seeing well—it means maintaining your independence, ensuring your safety, and enjoying a quality of life that everyone deserves.

The Importance of a Comprehensive Refractive Eye Exam

A refractive eye exam pinpoints issues such as myopia (short sightedness), where distant objects appear blurry, hyperopia (long sightedness), which affects your ability to see objects up close, or astigmatism which occurs when the eye’s cornea or lens has an irregular curvature, causing blurred or distorted vision at various distances. These are common refractive errors that result from the shape of your eye altering the way light is focused onto your retina. Identifying these issues is the first step to correcting them, allowing you to enjoy clear vision again.

The accuracy of your eyewear prescription is important for good vision. During a refractive eye exam, your optometrist uses a phoropter – an instrument with a series of lenses – to determine the exact combination that gives you the sharpest vision. It’s a meticulous process, as even the slightest deviation can affect how well you see. The right prescription can alleviate eye strain and prevent headaches, ensuring that your eyes are as relaxed as they can be.

For some individuals, refractive surgeries such as LASIK, which reshape the cornea offer a viable solution to refractive vision issues. This procedure involves using a specialized laser to precisely remove corneal tissue, thereby altering its shape and clearing the blurred vision caused by short sightedness, long sightedness or astigmatism. The best candidates for LASIK surgery are typically individuals with a stable prescription, good overall eye health and realistic expectations about the results. At Picton Eyecare, we can assess your suitability for laser refractive procedure and organise a referral to an ophthalmologist.

Digital Retinal Scan and Optical Cohorence Tomography (OCT)

Digital retinal scan is a modern technology used by optometrists to capture high-resolution images of the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Digital retinal scan can diagnose early sign of diabetic or hypertensive retinopathy, melanoma and many other abnormalities of the retina. It is particularly important in monitoring changes and progression of eye diseases.

An Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scan provides detailed cross-sectional images of the optic nerve and macula. This state-of-the-art technology works much like ultrasound, but uses light waves instead of sound waves to achieve high-resolution images. The OCT scan can capture intricate details of the retina’s structure, allowing our optometrists to detect and monitor subtle changes or abnormalities that might not be visible with traditional eye examination methods.

OCT scanning is particularly valuable in diagnosing and managing conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. The process is quick, painless, and does not require physical contact with the eye, making it an incredibly patient-friendly tool for comprehensive eye health assessment. Through the use of an OCT scanner at Picton Eyecare, we can offer more precise and proactive treatment plans, ensuring early detection and better management of various eye conditions.

Consider your eyes as windows—not just to the soul—but to your body’s well-being. Getting your eyes checked can help to identify early signs of conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and even more obscure issues like rheumatoid arthritis or thyroid diseases.

Why Get My Eyes Checked For Colour Blindness?

Color blindness doesn’t mean seeing the world in black and white; rather, it often means not seeing the difference between certain shades and hues. This condition can make everyday tasks challenging, like choosing ripe fruit or reading color-coded information. Screening for color vision deficiencies allows us to understand your perception of the world and provide support where needed, ensuring that your experience of life is as rich and full as possible.

People who are color blind often face restrictions in certain professions where accurate color perception is crucial. For instance, careers in aviation, as pilots or air traffic controllers, typically require the ability to distinguish between various colors of lights and instruments. Similarly, electrical work, which often relies on color-coded wiring, can be challenging and potentially unsafe for someone with color vision deficiencies. Roles in the graphic design and printing industries, where precise color differentiation is key, may also be less suitable. Additionally, certain roles in the medical field, where interpreting color-coded test results and images is essential, might be challenging for color-blind individuals.

By including this color blindness screening in regular eye exams, we can watch for signs of other underlying health concerns, offering peace of mind and proactive care. It’s a simple test, but it plays a significant role in ensuring your vision is the best it can be.

Assessing Eye Coordination: The Eye Cover Test

The eye cover test is a straightforward but revealing assessment that we use to evaluate how well your eyes are working as a team. It’s a crucial part of eye exams, particularly for children, as it helps us identify conditions like strabismus, where the eyes don’t align properly. This misalignment can lead to double vision or over-reliance on one eye. Early detection through the eye cover test can be instrumental in correcting these issues, paving the way for better learning and interaction with the world.

The value of having both eyes in sync cannot be overstated – it’s how we achieve depth perception and clear, 3D vision. When conditions disrupt this harmony, like strabismus or amblyopia (lazy eye), it can affect everything from reading to catching a ball. This is where behavioural optometry comes into play, especially for kids. It goes beyond the basic eye exam to tackle how vision affects behavior and learning. Through exercises and therapy, behavioural optometry can help retrain the eyes to work together efficiently.

Age-Related Eye Changes

The human eye is a marvel of biological engineering, and just like the rest of our bodies, it undergoes a series of changes from birth through to old age. In infancy, our eyes have to learn to focus and coordinate with each other, a process that continues as we grow. During childhood and adolescence, our eyes typically function at their peak, with optimal focus and minimal issues with eye health. This is a time when vision problems, if they arise, are often related to growth and can include conditions like myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness).

As we reach our 20s and 30s, our eyes generally stabilize, but this doesn’t mean we’re immune to visual stress, especially in today’s screen-centric world where digital eye strain can become a new challenge. Then, as we venture into our 40s and beyond, many of us will notice a gradual decline in our ability to focus on objects up close, a condition known as presbyopia. The lenses in our eyes become less flexible, making tasks like reading small print more difficult.

At Picton Eyecare, we’re dedicated to helping you navigate these changes. With regular checkups, we can identify any issues as they arise and provide you with the best solutions to maintain your visual acuity. Whether it’s a simple pair of reading glasses, a customized pair of multifocals, or contact lenses we’re here to ensure that your transition through the stages of visual change is smooth and that you can continue to enjoy your daily life with clear vision. Understanding and adapting to these changes are key to maintaining not only your eye health but also your overall quality of life.

Will Spectacles Make My Eyes Weaker?

The common belief that wearing reading glasses can weaken your eyes is a misconception. In reality, when patients begin wearing spectacles, particularly for tasks like reading or close work, they are simply aiding their eyes to see more clearly and comfortably. The need for reading glasses typically arises from age-related changes in the eye, such as presbyopia, where the eye’s lens loses flexibility, making it harder to focus on close objects.

Using reading glasses does not deteriorate your vision or worsen the condition of your eyes; instead, it compensates for the reduced focusing ability. The perception that one’s eyesight is getting weaker may stem from becoming more aware of the vision difficulty once they start using glasses and see the contrast in clarity. Regular use of reading glasses is an effective way to alleviate eye strain and enhance visual experience, and it does not contribute to a decline in the health of your eyes.

UV Damage to Your Eyes

Sun damage to the eyes is an often overlooked concern, but it’s crucial to be aware of its long-term effects. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s UV rays can lead to several serious eye conditions. These include age-related macular degeneration, which affects central vision; cataracts, which cloud the eye’s lens leading to blurred vision; pterygium, a growth on the eye’s surface; and in rare cases, melanoma of the eye. Regular eye checkups can provide an alert to such conditions, and give us the opportunity treat them before the damage is irreversible.

The best defense against these conditions is wearing sunglasses that offer UV protection. This simple but effective measure can significantly reduce your risk of sun-related eye damage, preserving your vision health over time. Remember, whenever you’re out in the sun, just as you protect your skin, your eyes deserve the same attention and care.

At Picton Eyecare we offer a wide selection of prescription and non prescription sunglasses with full UV protection embedded within the lenses.

When You Should See an Optometrist Immediately

Certain eye symptoms should prompt you to schedule an eye checkup without delay, as they may indicate serious underlying conditions:

• Sudden Vision Loss: A rapid decline in eyesight could signal a serious problem such as retinal detachment or a stroke affecting the eye.
• Flashes and Floaters: New or increased flashes or floaters could be symptoms of a retinal tear, especially if accompanied by a shadow or curtain over part of your vision.
• Eye Pain or Redness: Persistent pain or pronounced redness, especially if associated with blurred vision, could suggest an infection or inflammation.
• Foreign Body Sensation: Feeling like something is in your eye that won’t wash out can be a sign of corneal abrasion or a foreign object in the eye.
• Double Vision: Experiencing double vision suddenly can be a symptom of conditions that may affect the eye muscles, nerves, or brain.

If you encounter any of these symptoms, it’s crucial to contact your eye care professional immediately for an assessment. Prompt detection and treatment are key to preventing potentially permanent vision loss or complications. At your eye exam, we’ll conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the cause of your symptoms and provide you with the appropriate treatment plan.

Conclusion

Regular eye checkups are a cornerstone of not just vision care, but overall health maintenance. They are the unsung heroes in the early detection and management of both eye-related and systemic health issues.

Consider this a personal invitation from me, Dr. Nandita Chowdhury, to you and your family. Book an appointment to get your eyes checked, today. Together, we can ensure that you and your loved ones continue to experience the world in all its visual splendor. Our commitment to you goes beyond the clinic — we are a part of your community, and your health is our top priority. Let’s keep a vigilant eye on the future, together.

You can call us on (02) 4603 2309 or arrange an appointment using the “Book Now” button in the navigation menu. We are conveniently located in the heart of Picton, NSW. There is plenty of parking available at the back of our store.