Your Lifetime Vision Calendar

By Michael J. Dodd, MD

The month of January has been designated as National Vision Month.This is a good time to make an appointment for a yearly or bi-yearlyeye examination.A good time for children to be checked is before they start school.If they can identify numbers or letters, this is helpful to document their level of vision.If they are unable to recognize these, symbols can be used to assess their vision.If a child has crossed eyes or droopy lids or constantly rubs the eyes, they should be examined immediately. Once a first eye exam has established normal vision, a routine check-up every two years is reasonable.
Adolescents should be checked at two-year intervals for routine eye care.This is the age when myopia or nearsightedness will often show up.These patients may complain of difficulty seeing the school board or TV.Glasses or contact lenses solve this problem.For those who wear corrective lenses, the eyedoctor will recommend intervals for examinations. Some nearsighted children will have vision changes at regular intervals and require new, stronger glasses as often as yearly.
Young adults who have no vision complaints can have eye check ups at longer intervals, such as every 3-4 years. At about age 40, a condition known as presbyopia sets in, where the near vision becomes blurry even as the distant vision remains good.Readers or weak magnifiers will correct this problem. For patients over age 40 it is recommended that eye exams be done every two years again.
Once in the fifth decade other eye problems can show up such as glaucoma or cataracts. Fortunately, these conditions can be treated, but only if correctly diagnosed and this requires a good eye examination.Most eye doctors recommend examinations once yearly for those over age 50.
Fortunately, today many eye conditions that were untreatable only a few years ago, are nowsuccessfully managed and in some cases cured. A good eye examination consists ofseveral components a determination of visual acuity, an inspection of the eye lids and surrounding tissues, a pupil evaluation,an evaluation of the eye movements and eye muscle coordination, a careful examination of the eye under magnification (using a device known as a slit lamp), a pressure check to rule out glaucoma, a careful examination of the back of the eye (fundus) including the retina, optic nerves and blood vessels and finally a screening side vision test.
Eye examinations can be performed by optometrists or ophthalmologists (eye M.D.s).Call one soon to make an appointment during National Vision Month.