Talking About Optometry For Kids

Things To Know If You Haven't Had An Eye Exam In Years

21 December 2021

Amelia Dunn

Medical professionals often recommend that you have an eye exam every year, or at least every other year, in order to ensure any issues with your eyes don't go undetected for too long. Perhaps, though, you have not adhered to this advice. You may have skipped a few exams and have not seen an eye doctor for years. The good news is that it's not too late! Call a local eye doctor and schedule an eye exam soon. Here are a few things you may want to know as you go through this process.

An eye exam is more than a vision test.

The vision test, also known as a visual acuity test, is the part of the eye exam that people think of most often. This is the part of the exam that assess how well you see at various distances, determining whether you could benefit from wearing glasses or contacts. The vision test is an important part of the eye exam, but it is only part of the eye exam. During the exam, your eye doctor will also conduct a number of other tests to make sure your eyes are healthy. Most of these tests involve your doctor looking at various parts of your eyes through a microscope. 

An eye exam should not hurt.

Some parts of the eye exam may be awkward and a little uncomfortable. For instance, your eye doctor will probably do a test to measure your eye pressure that involves shooting a puff of air at your eye. This test may feel strange, but it won't hurt. In fact, none of the tests conducted during a routine eye exam cause pain. So, if you've been avoiding scheduling an eye exam because you're worried about pain, you can set those worries aside and schedule your appointment soon.

An eye exam is more extensive than what your primary care doctor does.

Sometimes people don't bother scheduling an eye exam with an eye doctor because they figure their primary care doctor has already looked at their eyes. But your primary care doctor only gives your eyes a quick glance to spot anything obvious. A thorough eye exam at the ophthalmologist's office is much more in-depth and more likely to turn up underlying issues.

If you have not had an eye exam in years, hopefully the information about will reassure you that doing so is wise, safe, and comfortable. 

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