Eye Exams For the Whole Family at Cadboro Bay Optometry
Routine eye exams are important, regardless of your age or physical health. During a complete eye exam at Cadboro Bay Optometry, your eye doctor will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.
Need an Eye Exam in Victoria, BC?
A comprehensive eye exam includes a number of tests and procedures to examine and evaluate the health of your eyes and the quality of your vision. These tests range from simple ones, like having you read an eye chart, to complex tests, such as using a high-powered lens to examine the health of the tissues inside of your eyes.
Our optometrists at Cadboro Bay Optometry recommend you have a complete eye exam every year to assess your risk for potentially damaging eye conditions, as well as to keep on top of any changes in vision you may be experiencing.
Eye Care for Everyone
How Often Do You Need to See the Optometrist, Based on Age?
The AOA recommends an annual eye exam for any patient who wears eyeglasses or contacts. If you don't normally need vision correction, you still need an eye exam every year. Doctors often recommend more frequent eye examinations for people with diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders, because many diseases can have an impact on vision and eye health.
Since the risk of eye disease continues to increase with advancing age, everyone over the age of 60 should be examined annually.
If you are over 40, it's a good idea to have your eyes examined every one to two years to check for common age-related eye problems such as presbyopia, cataracts and macular degeneration.
Eye Exams for Children
Some estimate that approximately 5% to 10% of pre-schoolers and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), all children should have their eyes examined at 6 months of age, at age 3 and again at the start of school. Children without vision problems or risk factors for eye or vision problems should then continue to have their eyes examined at every year throughout school.
Children with existing vision problems or risk factors should have their eyes examined more frequently. Common risk factors for vision problems include:
- premature birth
- developmental delays
- turned or crossed eyes
- family history of eye disease
- history of eye injury
- other physical illness or disease
The AOA recommends that children who wear eyeglasses or contact lenses should have their eyes examined at least every 12 months or according to their optometrist's instructions. Read more about Pediatric Eye Exams.
Schedule an Eye Doctor's Appointment
Contact our eye care clinic to schedule an eye exam in Victoria today.
FAQ
- A routine comprehensive eye exam generally takes less than an hour. Your appointment may take longer if dilation, retinal imaging, visual-field testing or other specialized assessments are needed. Additional time may also be required if you have new symptoms, a complex medical history or several concerns to discuss.
- Bring your current glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses, including their packaging or prescription if available. It is also helpful to bring a list of medications, relevant medical and family history, health or insurance information where applicable, and details about any eye symptoms you have noticed. Contact lens wearers should bring a lens case and backup glasses.
- Your optometrist will discuss your vision, symptoms, general health and family history before checking how clearly your eyes see. The examination may assess your prescription, eye coordination, focusing, peripheral vision, eye pressure and the health of the internal and external eye structures. Dilation, retinal imaging or other tests may be recommended when clinically appropriate.
- Most eye exams require no special preparation. Continue your usual medications unless a healthcare professional has instructed you otherwise, and wear or bring your normal vision correction. Follow any contact-lens removal instructions provided by the clinic, make a note of your symptoms and bring sunglasses in case your eyes are dilated.