The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends comprehensive eye exams every 1–2 years. Adults over 40 should be seen annually.
Comprehensive eye exams do far more than update your glasses prescription. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends exams every 1–2 years for adults under 40 and annually for adults 40 and older. Eye exams detect conditions that develop silently: glaucoma (elevated eye pressure that destroys peripheral vision without symptoms until advanced stages), diabetic retinopathy (blood vessel damage in the eye, the leading cause of new blindness in adults), macular degeneration, and cataracts. The retina is the only place in the body where blood vessels can be directly visualized — eye exams can reveal signs of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease before they are detected elsewhere.
Schedule eye exams every 2 years under age 40 and annually at 40+ per AAO guidelines. People with diabetes, a family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration, or known refractive error should see an eye doctor annually regardless of age.
Contact lens prescriptions expire annually in most states — but your glasses prescription is based on the same exam and may be valid for 2 years. If you only wear glasses, you can often extend between exams, but contact lens wearers must be seen annually for prescription renewal and eye health monitoring regardless of stable vision.
A vision screening (like a DMV test) only checks visual acuity — can you read the chart. A comprehensive eye exam includes dilation, intraocular pressure measurement, retinal examination, and assessment for glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, and other conditions. Vision screenings miss virtually all serious eye conditions. Only comprehensive exams are medically valuable.
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