Why Does my Prescription Expire? My Vision has not Changed!
Eye doctors recommend regular check ups at least once every two years, and even more frequently for those wearing eyeglasses and contact lenses. State board recommendations vary between different states, but generally glasses prescriptions are only valid for two years, and contact lens prescriptions are only valid for 1 year maximum. Even those who feel that nothing has changed should have regular check ups. Our bodies and our eyes are constantly changing and an eye check will make sure that your prescription lenses or glasses are giving you the best possible vision. It is hard to discern any small deterioration in our own eyesight, but an eyetest will quickly detect these. Also, if vision has changed in one eye, the other eye may be compensating for it, so the patient is not aware of the deterioration. Left unchecked this can cause eyestrain, headaches and nausea. During an eye examination the eye doctor will also check for overall eye health. It is most important that the doctor gets the opportunity to check your eye health as many eye diseases can occur without any warning signs. The doctor will measure the intraocular pressure, testing for the warning signs of glaucoma and they will look for first signs of macular degeneration, which if undetected can result in permanent loss of sight. They will also check for any signs of cataracts. In addition, since there are so many new inventions and advances in technology, an annual eye exam will allow the doctor to update and offer the latest technology to you.
Eye Glasses Prescriptions
During a regular check up for those wearing glasses your eyesight will be checked, both with and without your eyeglasses to make sure that the prescription is correct. If a significant change is detected, then a new prescription will be issued. A glasses prescription will be valid for two years. It cannot be valid for a longer period as a new eye test should be taken before ordering glasses as small changes may have occurred since the last. The purpose of a prescription is to order glasses to be made to give you the optimum vision possible. After one year this may not actually be the case as your eyesight may have changed again. Most people suffer changes in their eyesight in their early forties when presbyopia occurs. This change in near vision means that small print cannot clearly be read close up. It is common to see people suffering with presbyopia holding something at arm's length in order to focus. It is important that glasses prescriptions are current. You may otherwise be wasting your time and money by having glasses made for how your eyes were, not how they are actually are now..
Contact Lens Check Prescriptions
Regular eye checks are even more important, and are required more frequently for those who wear contact lenses. As the contact lens are considered a medical device and it is worn right on the eye, they must always fit well and have the correct fine tuning including the axis, sphere and cylinder if there is astigmatism. During a regular check up for those wearing contact lenses, your eyesight will be checked, both with and without your lenses to ensure that the prescription remains correct. If a significant change is detected, then a new prescription will be issued. A contact lens prescription will only be valid for up to one year. After that a new eye test should be taken before new contact lenses are ordered as small changes may have occurred in the interim. The purpose of a prescription is to prescribe contact lenses, which will give you the optimum vision possible. After one year this may not actually be the case as your eyesight may have changed again. During their early forties, many people suffer changes in their eyesight when presbyopia occurs. This change in near vision means that small print cannot clearly be read close up. You will have seen people suffering with presbyopia holding something at arm's length in order to focus. It is particularly important therefore that contact lens prescriptions are current. You may otherwise be wasting your time and money by having contact lenses made for how your eyes were, not how they are actually are now. Besides updating the prescription, yearly contact lens exams are particularly important for the health of the cornea. As contact lenses are considered a foreign object that is worn on the eye itself, if worn inaccurately, it can cause eye infections and decrease in oxygen to the eye. A yearly exam is essential to ensure proper eye health.
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