If you don’t wear glasses or contact lenses, you may not feel as though getting your eyes checked regularly is all that necessary. But even if you’re convinced you have 20/20 vision, getting eye exams is important for monitoring and maintaining your eye health. In general, the frequency with which you should be visiting an eye doctor depends on your age, as well as the condition of your eyes. At Miamisburg, OH’s Wing Eyecare, an experienced optometrist can provide eye exams and further tips on how often you should see an eye doctor.

A child’s first thorough eye exam should be taken when they are as young as six months. If their vision seems normal, they can wait a few more years until their next round of exams. They should revisit the eye doctor for exams before starting school so that any potential issues can be diagnosed and treated early before their educational experience is affected.

Between the ages of 3 and 9, annual or biennial eye exams are recommended. Between ages 20 and 40, eye health tends to stabilize, and exams can occur once every five years unless unforeseen issues arise with sight or other irritations in the eye. Eyesight can decline after age 40, so the frequency of eye exams should increase to once every two to four years until age 60 — and even more often (once every year or two) after age 65.

When it comes to additional risk factors, like a family history of poor eyesight or even health conditions like diabetes, the regular rules for eye exams according to age group may not apply. In those cases, yearly exams — or even one or two exams a year in more serious cases — are the safest bet. Neglecting to see an eye doctor more frequently when additional health issues or risk factors are at play can result in glaucoma or even blindness. Additionally, if you wear contact lenses, getting eye exams every year is important to check that your eyes are not having adverse reactions, such as inadequate oxygen flow, from the lenses.

For more information on getting eye exams, or to schedule one with an experienced eye doctor, contact Wing Eyecare at (937) 247-2000 or visit their website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.