Throughout our lives, our eyes and vision often change for the better or for the worse, so we need to make those eye doctor appointments to cover all of our bases. When we think about milestones from a vision perspective, there are four major stages to remember. Here’s the breakdown:
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Childhood: When we are between the ages of 5 and 10 years old, our brain and eyes are very malleable. Not only should we be visiting the pediatrician every year for a check-up, but the eye doctor needs a visit too. Annual eye exams ensure both eyes are working together, and will fix them quickly if one eye is underachieving the other. Every month we age, we lose this plasticity, which is why it’s better to get checked sooner rather than later.
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Puberty: Our eyes are just one of the many things that change rapidly during this stage of life. As growing kids, our eyes mold according to our daily routines, so the state of our eyes depend largely on how we use them. It’s important to get an annual eye exam to flag some of the bad habits we’ve developed with our eyes, and ensure that our eyes are doing well!
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Forty: By the time we turn 40, it’s common to need reading glasses or bifocals. If not by 40, then probably by 45. Getting glasses at this stage in your life is completely normal and you’ll start to notice that many of your friends the same age will be transitioning to glasses, too (if they weren’t already wearing them)!
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Sixty Five: At this point in our life, it’s likely time for cataract surgery. Some people will need this simple, non-invasive surgery a little earlier in life depending on where they live, their race and sex, and how much time they’ve spent outdoors since childhood. Cataracts cause blurred vision and maybe a little discomfort, but no real pain. They’re totally treatable with a simple procedure, resulting in zero vision loss. But if they aren’t treated in time they could have more serious consequences.
Based on these milestones, eye doctors try to coordinate annual eye exams for everyone between the ages of 5-18 and 40+. For the healthy patients with no visual problems, we still recommend an eye exam every two years between the ages 18-40. Annual eye exams can only benefit you, and will make the aging process much smoother.