We often take our eyes for granted by assuming they don’t require much care from us. However, caring for your eyes is just as vital as exercising, eating healthy, and taking care of your mental health. Our eyes are delicate and complicated, and you need to see your optometrist regularly for preventative care, early diagnosis, and treatment before a problem escalates into a full-blown disaster.
Best Reasons to See Your Optometrist Regular
Visiting an optometrist is not always the most fun thing to do, but it’s imperative if you want to protect your eyesight. Typically, you should make it a priority to see an optometrist in Singapore for these important reasons:
Eye Diseases are Common but Preventable: Allergies, eye infections, or chronic illnesses might be affecting you more than you realize. It’s essential to have your eyes checked by an optometrist regularly so you can catch any issues before they escalate.
Catching Life-Threatening Conditions: You might not think that a problem with your eyes is severe enough to see an optometrist. However, an eye exam can help detect life-threatening conditions, like high blood pressure, brain tumors, cholesterol, diabetes, and other conditions that can lead to blindness before they worsen.
Your Eyes Change with Age:: As you get older, it becomes harder to focus on close-up objects. Unfortunately, the aging process can’t be stopped; but your optometrist can educate you on preventative care like using sunscreen, wearing sunglasses, or changing contacts lenses to ensure that any potential problem is managed.
Child Eye Care: Your pediatrician can’t always detect issues with your child’s eyes; that’s why it’s essential to take them to an optometrist. Your optometrist can also help with early diagnosis and treatment for eye problems that may affect your child’s development: like poor depth perception and crossed eyes.
Preventing Visual Issues: Seeing an optometrist can help with early diagnosis and treatment for visual issues like strabismus, amblyopia, and myopia. Timely treatment helps protect the health of your eyes and allows you to see better even at old age.
Less Tears for Women: Women tend to produce less tears with age which leads to dry eyes. They also have a higher risk for age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. An optometrist can help women protect their eyes from various problems that could interfere with vision.
How Often Should You See An Optometrist?
The number of times and how often you need to see your optometrist depends on your age, lifestyle, and health status. Generally though, here is the frequency in which you should visit an optometrist in Singapore:
- Children – They should see an optometrist at least once a year.
- Adults 18-64 – Adults over 18 years should have an eye exam every two years.
- 65 and over – people over age 65 should see their optometrist yearly because of the higher risk for certain conditions.
- People with certain conditions or risk factors- based on the condition, you may need to see an optometrist more frequently. People who wear corrective lenses (glasses or contacts) need to visit their optometrist every 1–2 years. Those at risk for developing eye diseases, like diabetes, should visit their optometrist more frequently so they can be checked every one to two years.
