Why Should You Have Regular Eye Exams?

If you have no problems with your eyes, you may not see a reason to schedule an eye exam. Many people know they should but have trouble finding time. People often do not realize that regular eye exams are as important to your health as any other medical screening. A single eye exam can evaluate you for a wide range of eye problems and catch them before they progress. 

What is an Eye Exam?

An eye exam is performed by an eye doctor. An optometrist is an eye doctor who treats many conditions and often handles routine eye care. An ophthalmologist can treat all the same conditions but can also perform eye surgery and other advanced procedures. Our Vold Vision eye exams are performed by experienced ophthalmologists who specialize in eye care for all members of the family.

Why Should You Have Regular Eye Exams?

Your Vold Vision team is committed to bringing quality eye care to all members of your family through every stage of life. Regular eye exams are part of our Family Eye Care program. This program uses regular eye exams to monitor all members of your family from infancy on and ensure their eyes stay healthy. 

Regular eye exams are important for several reasons:

1. Eye conditions and vision problems are common in infants and even more common in childhood. Early vision correction can prevent these conditions from affecting your child’s learning and development. 
2. Eye conditions like glaucoma can cause damage without any symptoms. If detected early, these conditions can be managed to minimize the risk to your vision.
3. If you have a corrective lens prescription, it can change over time. An eye exam will evaluate your refractive error and determine whether new lenses will help you see better. 

There are many other reasons to get your regular eye exam as recommended. Your vision is precious, and damage may not be reversible. Your Vold Vision eye doctor will follow you over time to detect and manage all your vision problems. 

We recommend eye exams for children under a year of age and again before they enter school. Babies under one year of age are eligible for our InfantSEE program. Preteens and teens are eligible for our teen-focused program that helps them feel comfortable with corrective lenses and learn good eye care. Adults will have changing eye care needs as they are. Your eye doctor will tell you how often you should have an eye exam.

What Happens During an Eye Exam?

Your ophthalmologist will perform several tests to check your eyes. We perform a 360-Eye Exam that tests your eyes in several ways:

• Your eye doctor will test for refractive errors. They will look into your eyes while performing a few checks, like having you cover each eye and read a standardized chart.
• They will check for strabismus, a misalignment of the eyes, especially in children. 
• They will often have you follow a light with your eyes to check your eye muscles and then check your color vision. 
• A more intensive diagnosis of refractive errors uses a series of paired lenses. Your eye doctor will switch between the two and ask you to tell them which one looks clearer. 
• They may also dilate your pupils to get a clearer look inside your eyes. This is painless but will make your vision blurry for a few hours. 

Your eye doctor will use a slit lamp exam to let them see a 360-degree, 3D view of your eyes. This allows them to view all the structures of your eye. They will check for many different eye conditions, including glaucoma, cataracts, and the effects of medical conditions such as diabetes. 

Who Should Have an Eye Exam With an Eye Doctor?

The simplest answer is that everyone of every age should have an eye exam at least every few years. Even adults with healthy eyes should not go more than a few years without having them checked. People at high risk should have eye exams every year or two or as recommended by their doctor. Your Vold Vision team will set up a schedule for you based on your risk factors, eye health, and age.

Take the Next Step

You’ll benefit not only from the latest technologies available but also from our compassionate, personal approach. You’re more than a patient at Vold Vision in Bentonville and Fayetteville. We strive to make you as comfortable as possible while evaluating the optimal treatment plan just for you. We invite Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville, and Springdale residents to contact us today for a consultation at (479) 442-8653.