Visiting your optometrist in Canberra is just as important as regular visits to your dentist or GP. It is essential to see your optometrist regularly to stay on top of your eye health. Regular visits to your optometrist allow you to receive the best advice on maintaining your eye health and maximising your vision. So, how often should you see your optometrist in Canberra?
If you have never had any eye issues, you probably never needed to visit an optometrist. You may remember having your vision checked at your GP by reading letters off the wall or a chart while renewing your driver’s licence at the licensing authority. These quick vision tests can sometimes be done online or even at home. They often tell you whether you meet the vision standards for a particular occupation or task; they don’t quantify your vision level.
Children
For children, a basic eye health check is done in the first year, just after labour or during routine checkups with the maternal child health nurse. If either parent has a history of any eye problems, especially a lazy eye, turned eye or a squint, it is essential to have these evaluated early on. This allows early diagnosis and improves treatment success before affecting the child’s vision development. Your optometrist can see children of any age in Canberra. We recommend that your child visit an optometrist once before they turn three years of age.
Children don’t often report any health issues voluntarily. Around the age of 4 to 5, the demand for their vision changes as they start preschool or school. This change in vision demand can often become tiresome and make the child lose focus at school. If your child hasn’t seen an optometrist thus far, it is highly recommended that their eyes be tested before they start school. Having the right tools is vital for learning, and having good vision is equally essential to ensure your child achieves their potential.
Teenagers
Teenagers are reaching the age where they are starting to learn to drive. Their vision must be checked before they start learning to drive. Sometimes this is done at the licencing authority. However, visiting your optometrist in Canberra allows you to detect and rectify any vision issues, so everything is in order when your teenager applies for a driver’s licence.
Your teenagers are also at the stage of deciding on their careers. Specific careers, such as police officers and Defence, have strict vision requirements, including colour vision. If your child still needs to get their eyes tested, you may not know if they meet these occupational vision standards. Visiting your optometrist in Canberra allows you and your child to understand their vision better and whether pursuing a specific career is feasible.
Young Adults to Adults
As we settle into our careers, we are surrounded by screen use and mobile devices. Excess use of computers and devices can cause a lot of visual discomforts. Visiting your optometrist in Canberra allows you to seek advice on how to alleviate eye strain and eye fatigue from computer use and maintain your vision and eye health for the years to come.
Medical conditions such as thyroid issues, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and hypertension impact your eye health. If your recent medical history has changed, it is recommended that you speak to your optometrist in Canberra to check how these conditions affect your vision and eye health. Not only your optometrist in Canberra will discuss their effects on your eye health, but they will also give you advice on maintaining your eye health and vision throughout your life.
The Bottom Line
Everyone should have their eyes tested by their optometrist in Canberra at least once in their lifetime (!). Generally, this means a visit to your optometrist every two years, regardless of age. Visiting your optometrist in Canberra ensures you do everything possible to maintain your eye health and maximise your vision. If you need help remembering when you last had your eye test, make one with your optometrist in Canberra!