How often should you visit your optician?

Your eye health should be treated like any other part of your body. It is recommended to visit your dentist every 6 months, and the doctors every 3 years at least for a check-up, but many people neglect a vital part of their health; their eyes.

Often we find ourselves taking our vision for granted, it’s easy to do and even easier to fix! Practising regular eye care and visiting your optician is the best way to improve your eye health now, and later on in life. Below are the recommended amount of times a year you should visit your optician (based on age), and why it’s so vital for your health as a whole.

Recommended visits

According to the NHS, it’s recommended that you visit your optician for an eye test every 2 years. For those with, or those with direct relatives with glaucoma and diabetes, it’s recommended that you see your optician once a year. If you’ve been told by a medical professional to see your optician more than these recommended times then follow their advice as instructed.

It’s important to receive eye tests even if you don’t feel as though you need one as many eye conditions go undetected before they’re discovered through symptoms. Just like it’s important to visit your dentist and doctor, it’s essential that you visit your eye care provider too.

Below are a few of the reasons why eye tests are crucial in maintaining good eye health.

Why It’s Necessary to Visit Your Optician

There are many reasons as to why you should visit your opticians, but here are a few common and important ones that we’ve listed for you below:

Prevention of eye conditions: A very important reason why you should see your eye doctor more often is that they can detect eye conditions before you can. This is important as you may be able to get treatment and prevent the onset of an eye condition before it starts to impact you.

An eye examination examines every area of your eye, meaning your optician will be able to see if there are any abnormalities. Like all illnesses, getting treatment early on gives you the best chance of treating an ailment.

You may benefit from lenses: A lot of people who may need contact lenses or glasses go without them for a while as they don’t think there is anything wrong with their eyesight.

An example of this being people with refractive errors such as myopia (short-sightedness). These people may benefit greatly from glasses to correct their vision, but may put off going to their optician. If you have myopia or something similar and have not yet been diagnosed, a visit to your optician can solve this issue for you and get you the eye care you need.

You may need a lens upgrade: Many glasses-wearers may have prescription lenses that have expired. If this is the case for you then booking in with an optician for a lens upgrade is the best thing to do. Your eye doctor can check for vision changes and then adjust your prescription accordingly.

If you have any eye concerns, or questions then don’t hesitate to contact us today.

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