3 Reasons To Schedule Your Annual Eye Exam
By Ann Marie Walker on August 22, 2025 in Vision Health
Your eyes continually change, so it’s important to schedule an annual eye exam to ensure your overall eye health is in good shape. The reasons are endless, but here are our top three:
1. Eye Exams Can Help Detect Serious Health Issues
Having 20/20 vision doesn’t necessarily mean your eyes are perfectly healthy. Often, serious eye diseases don’t show any signs or symptoms, so having an eye doctor check your eyes yearly can help detect concerns early and prevent complications. An annual eye exam can help you to identify and avoid common eye diseases, like:
Glaucoma1
A condition in which the pressure inside your eyes increases. Glaucoma can damage the optic nerve, causing tunnel vision and pain if not treated. Early detection is key to minimizing eye damage. Symptoms will vary, but many people will not experience any pain or symptoms until vision loss has occurred.
Cataracts2
A medical condition where the lens of the eye becomes cloudy over time. Luckily, vision loss caused by cataracts can be treated. Your optometrist can refer you to a specialist for treatment.
Diabetic retinopathy3
A diabetes complication that damages the blood vessels in the retina. People with diabetic retinopathy may not experience any symptoms until vision loss occurs. Permanent vision loss may occur if untreated. Optometrists can administer a series of tests to help detect early signs of these conditions. Don’t wait until symptoms begin appearing to visit your eye doctor. Early prevention is key to keeping your eyes healthy and your vision clear.
2. Eye Exams Help Your Children Succeed in School
Ensuring your children are receiving proper eye care can greatly impact how they learn and perform in school. Scheduling routine eye exams for your children can help ensure their eyesight is developing correctly and treat common eyesight problems, like nearsightedness (Myopia) or farsightedness. Because vision and learning are so intimately connected, there are also children who are incorrectly diagnosed with behavioral or learning disabilities - when the problem is actually poor vision.
3. Eye Exams Can Provide Peace of Mind
Often, we ignore issues with our eyes that come off as minor. While some symptoms may be the result of exhaustion or fatigue, others could be a sign of a more serious eye condition. Instead of putting it off, schedule an eye exam for some peace of mind. If you’re continuously experiencing any of the following eye problems, you should visit your eye doctor immediately:
- Redness of the eye
- Excessive/constant watering of eyes
- Eye pain
- Double or blurry vision
- Tiny speck appearing to float in front of your eyes
- Circles or halos around lights
- Computer eye strain
What To Expect at Your Appointment
A review of your patient history: During this time your doctor may ask about your family history, any symptoms you are experiencing and medications you are taking.
Eye and vision examination: Tests will vary depending on the patient, but the most common to expect are visual acuity, ocular movement tests and a health check of your eyes.
Optional contact lens testing: Patients who wish to use contact lenses instead of eyeglasses will have to complete additional tests to ensure the lenses fit correctly and what material is best for their eyes. Furthermore, your eye doctor can go over a proper schedule for wearing your lenses.
- 1 “Glaucoma”; Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org; November 2024.
- 2 “Cataracts”; Mayo Clinic; www.mayoclinic.org; September 2023.
- 3 Turbert, David; “Diabetic Eye Disease”; American Academy of Ophthalmology; www.aao.org; September 2024.