How often should you get an eye exam?

Children, age 6-17: annually

Vision changes faster during the school years than at almost any other point in life. Hidden problems show up as inattention, slow reading, or behavior issues, long before a child says they can’t see. A school screening catches a fraction of what a comprehensive exam does.

Annual is the right pace through the school years.

Adults, 18-39: now recommended annually

For years the common advice was an exam every two years for younger adults. That changed: in its 2023 clinical guideline, the American Optometric Association moved to recommending an annual comprehensive exam for adults. It’s a more proactive way to catch eye and whole-body conditions early.

Even with no symptoms, an annual baseline tracks subtle change and flags the eye-health issues that start silently. This is even more important if you have a family history of eye disease, or notice new screen-related strain, headaches, or trouble driving at night.

Adults, 40-64: annually

Presbyopia (the gradual loss of the lens’s ability to focus up close) begins in the early forties. The same window is when risk for glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration starts to climb. An annual exam tracks those changes year over year and keeps your prescription current with your eyes.

Seniors, 65 and up: still annually

Risk for age-related conditions rises, and medications can affect vision and eye pressure. Annual is the floor; some patients with diagnosed conditions come in every six months for a closer check.

Special cases that shorten the interval

• Contact lens wearers, all ages. Annual at minimum. Lens fit and corneal health need yearly checks, and the fitting differs from glasses.
• Diabetes, any age. Annual or as directed. Early detection prevents more than 90% of diabetes-related vision loss, yet most people with diabetes skip the yearly exam. It’s one of the most useful things an eye exam can catch.
• Family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration. Earlier, more frequent baselines, especially after 40.
• High prescription, recent surgery, or new symptoms. Don’t wait for the regular interval, just call.

What an exam actually checks

A comprehensive exam is far more than a vision screening. It includes refraction, an eye-pressure reading, an eye-health check of the retina and optic nerve, and a peripheral-vision test. It also screens for whole-body conditions that surface in the eye before they show up anywhere else.

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