Outandabout March 2022 Issue195

12 | OUT AND ABOUT COSTA BLANCA
How often should you
get your eyes checked?
DR. M. ISABEL SIGNES-SOLER
Eye care professionals recommend that
you have an eye exam every one to
two years. This may vary depending
on your age, risk factors and whether you
wear eyeglasses or contacts. Though vision
screenings are sometimes done for kids at
school, eye exams are still important.
Vision screenings may find a vision issue in
your child, but they aren’t a substitute for a
comprehensive eye exam. An exam is more
in-depth, can catch problems a screening
may miss, and can find the underlying cause
behind issues a screening does identify.
How often children should get an eye exam
Experts say approximately 80% of all learning
comes from visual pathways. Yet one in
four children with a correctable refractive
error does not have it corrected properly. A
University of Bristol study also discovered
that brain-related visual problems likely affect
one in 30 school-aged children.
Because of this, it’s recommended that
children have their first eye exam at 6 months
of age. Another exam should be done at age
three and again before the start of first
grade. If a child is not at risk, they
can continue having their eyes
examined every year until age
18.
Children with risk
factors for vision
problems may need
their first eye exam
earlier than 6 months of
age and may need eye
exams more frequently
throughout childhood.
Children need regular
eye exams to detect vision
problems that may interfere
with learning.
Examples of risk factors include:
• Family history of vision problems, such
as myopia, strabismus, amblyopia,
retinoblastoma or a genetic disease that
affects the eyes
• Prematurity or low birth weight
• Difficult labor associated with fetal distress
• Extended use of supplemental oxygen at
birth
• Infection of mother during pregnancy
(examples: rubella, venereal disease, herpes,
AIDS)
• Developmental delays
• Functional vision in only one eye
• Maternal smoking, drinking or drug use
during pregnancy
• Physical illness or diseases
• Eye disorders such as high refractive error,
strabismus and anisometropia
• Health conditions associated with ocular
conditions
• Taking a medication with ocular side effects
Children who currently wear eyeglasses or
contact lenses should also have annual eye
exams.
How often adults should get an
eye exam
To maintain a lifetime
of healthy vision,
adults ages 18 to
60 should have a
comprehensive
eye exam at least
once every two
years. Older
adults (ages 65
and older) should
have annual eye
exams. “At risk”
adults should have
an exam at least
once every year, or as
recommended by their
doctor.
Dra. Maria Isabel Signes-Soler, PhD, FAAO • Tel: 965832080