The Eye Examination: Eye Care
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
The eye examination
Regular, comprehensive eye exams are the best way to detect eye disease early, when treatment (if available) is most effective. (For guidelines on how often to be examined, see Table 1.) A thorough eye exam involves a series of evaluations — some done in the dark, some in the light, and some with special instruments. People who feel their eyes are too sensitive or who fear an eye exam should be assured it is not painful.
Table 1: When to see an eye doctor | |
| Otherwise healthy people | |
| Younger than 40 | After initial examination, only when visual changes, eye injury, or ocular symptoms occur |
| Ages 40–64 | Every two to four years |
| Ages 65 and older | Every one to two years |
| People with diabetes | |
| Type 1 diabetes diagnosed before age 30 | Five years after diagnosis; at least annually thereafter |
| Type 1 diabetes diagnosed at age 30 and older | At time of diagnosis and at least annually thereafter |
| Type 2 diabetes | At time of diagnosis and at least annually thereafter |
| Special considerations | |
| |
| Source: The American Academy of Ophthalmology | |
Before the exam, the doctor or a trained assistant asks about your current and past health, including general well-being, diseases in childhood, allergies, and any personal and family history of medical problems. These details are important in assessing your risk for eye disease and any symptoms you may have; some eye disorders are associated with heredity and some with illnesses. Diabetes, for example, can affect vision and always deserves careful attention (see "Diabetic retinopathy").
The doctor also asks if you wear glasses or contact lenses, how you care for them, and when you wear them. In a routine exam, the doctor inquires about any changes in general health, medicines, and vision or new complaints since your last eye exam.
| Last updated: | June 19, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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