It is encouraged in the UK that people with eye or vision problems should have an eye test every two years. There are a variety of reasons behind this, one of which is that it could save you a lot of troubles in later years if you do get regular eye tests.
Primarily, eye tests serve as a check-up to make sure that your vision correction prescription – your glasses and/or contact lenses – is up to date. Without right prescription, not only can your sight suffer but the condition of your eyes can deteriorate overall. It means that bigger problems may be arisen in the future which should be rectified in advance simply by taking an eye test.
Eye tests also serve as a way for optometrists to monitor any early signs of eye diseases. As with other health problems, the earlier a problem is identified, the sooner it can be treated – with a higher likelihood for success than if the problem is allowed to worsen. Problems like glaucoma and cataracts can be identified far earlier than they might be if left alone, and solved in a comparatively easy way.
During an eye test, your optometrist will adopt several measures to determine the health of your eyes and the quality of your vision. These include a discussion of your health and lifestyle, followed by tests such as the measurement of your spectacle power, the measurement of your eye pressure – key to discovering glaucoma – auto refraction to help with your base prescription and a test of your visual acuity. This test determines how well your vision works based on near and far distances, usually by reading letters on an eye chart.
There are many other tests with which your optometrist determines any other problems you may have, which check the general condition of your eyes, including the strength and flexibility of the surrounding muscles.
By booking regular eye tests, it is far more likely for you to save yourself from future pain and discomfort due to the greater chance of identifying any sign of diseases before they become too severe, and ensure your prescription is completely up to date so that you are not at risk of entailing any other damage.
Your optometrist will also be better informed to suggest a course of treatment, whether it is new glasses or LASIK laser eye surgery for corrective purposes – making regular eye tests an essential part of your routine health checks.