How Often Do I need to Buy New Glasses?
Our vision is a dynamic part of our lives, meaning it can change over time. These changes can happen quickly or gradually.
They can be due to various factors like injury, surgery, or hormonal changes. If you wear glasses to help with poor eyesight, you are not immune to these changes.
You can expect your prescription to change anywhere between every 1 to 3 years. These changes can be subtle, but still have an effect on your lifestyle.
They may cause eye strain and headaches if not corrected in a timely manner. Scheduling regular eye appointments at the Pinke Eye Center is the best way to stay on top of your vision needs.
Keep reading to find out how often you need to buy new glasses and more about comprehensive eye exams!
What Happens During a Comprehensive Eye Exam?
A comprehensive eye exam is a crucial component to healthy vision. It allows your eye doctor to diagnose any underlying problems that you may have with your eyesight.
These may be problems that you may not realize you have such as glaucoma. With glaucoma, there are no obvious symptoms until vision has been permanently lost.
There are a large number of tests that the eye doctor may select to perform during the exam. This is why a comprehensive eye exam can be so long.
On average, it may be a couple of hours. The kinds of tests the doctor will perform largely depend on circumstances. This includes your medical and family history, age, and lifestyle. Here are a few common tests that you’ll likely encounter.
Visual Acuity
A visual acuity test involves sitting in front of a chart reading letters off of it until you can’t see the letters clearly. The point that you stop being able to see clearly is what determines your vision score.
If you can see the size 20 letters from 20 feet away, then you are considered to have standard, or “20/20” eyesight.
Refraction
A refraction test is specifically designed to hone in on your actual prescription size. The eye doctor will show you a series of lens options. You will continue going down the options until you find the best fit.
Retinoscopy
Eye doctors can also approximate your prescription by only looking at your eyes. During a retinoscopy, a light is shone into your eyes.
By doing this, the ophthalmologist can make a ballpark estimate of your prescription based on the way it reflects.
Tonometry
Glaucoma is one of the most important conditions tested for during a comprehensive eye exam. Glaucoma causes damage to the eye by causing the interior fluid of your eyes to slowly build up.
A good sign that you may have glaucoma is if you have unusually high internal eye pressure. Your eye doctor will test for this with a special machine. This machine blows a sharp puff of air into your eyes and measures the resistance.
When it comes to new glasses, you should buy a new pair if your current pair isn’t helping you see. If you get headaches, have to strain or squint to see, your prescription is likely out of date.
Can’t remember the last eye exam you had or when you last saw your ophthalmologist? Schedule an appointment at the Pinke Eye Center in Shelton, CT now!
If your eyes are bothering you, this is the right time to see an ophthalmologist.
