Eye Exams for Children and Adults
in Daly City, CA
Protect Your Family’s Eyes with Regular Eye Exams
Take a moment to picture the world around you: The vibrant colors of spring. The intricate details of a loved one’s face. The beauty that surrounds us every day. Wouldn’t it be a shame to miss out on that because of preventable vision problems?
That's where regular eye exams for children and adults come in.
Eye exams don’t just help us maintain our healthy vision. They’re also our best chance at detecting the early signs of eye disease like glaucoma and macular degeneration. They improve our quality of life by enabling us to do the things we love.
Most people don’t know this, but an eye exam by an optometrist can also detect signs of other health conditions, like:
Diabetes.
High blood pressure.
High cholesterol.
By catching these issues early, you can start treatment and improve your overall well-being.
Learn about the importance of eye exams, what to expect during an exam, and why it is essential to get your eyes checked by an eye doctor regularly.
What Is a Comprehensive Eye Exam for Children and Adults?
A comprehensive eye exam is an eye doctor’s assessment of your vision and eye health.
Getting regular comprehensive eye exams is crucial for keeping your eyes healthy and detecting early signs of vision-threatening diseases. It also keeps your glasses or contact prescription up to date.
What to Expect During an Eye Exam
During your comprehensive eye exam, your optometrist will perform tests to evaluate your vision and the health of your eyes.
Here’s a peek at some of the tests Dr. Koutoulas may give you during your eye exam at Clear Vision Eyecare:
Visual acuity test: The classic “letters on a chart” test. Measures your vision at various distances.
Refraction test: Determines the right prescription for glasses or contacts and looks for signs of myopia and farsightedness.
Eye movement test: Evaluates how well your eyes move in different directions.
Binocular vision test: Tests how well your eyes work together.
Glaucoma test: Measures the pressure inside the eye.
Retinal exam: Evaluates the health of the retina and optic nerve.
Visual field test: Detects blind spots in your side vision, which can be a sign of eye diseases like glaucoma.
Dr. Koutoulas may also ask about your medical history, medications you are taking, and any symptoms you are experiencing. If you need it, he may recommend additional tests or referrals to other specialists.
My Child Gets Vision Screenings at School. Is That the Same as an Eye Exam?
No, and we’re so glad you asked!
A comprehensive eye exam given by an eye doctor, or optometrist, is much more in-depth than the vision screenings given in schools. School vision screenings miss as many as 60% of children with vision problems.¹ They also can’t be used to diagnose vision problems or recommend treatment.
How Long Does an Eye Exam Take at Clear Vision Eyecare?
There is no standard duration of an eye exam. Dr. Koutoulas decides which tests to perform based on your age, personal health and family health history, whether you wear glasses or contact lenses, and other factors.
Dr. Koutoulas is a compassionate optometrist working at the forefront of his field. He takes his time with patients, delving deep into whatever eye issues they might have.
After a diagnosis, he presents a wide variety of solutions to the problem. He likes to explore the options so each patient can decide what’s right for them.
Why Are Regular Eye Exams So Important?
Many eye diseases and conditions, like glaucoma, are stealthy. They don’t have symptoms in their early stages. When symptoms finally appear, the permanent damage to vision is already done, and the disease is more difficult to treat.
During comprehensive eye exams, your eye doctor can detect early signs of eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Regular eye exams allow your optometrist to track your eye health over your lifetime.
Eye exams can also detect other health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Symptoms of these conditions often show up first in the eyes. Detecting them early can help you treat them sooner and improve your health.
How Often Should I or My Child Get an Eye Exam?
Children's Eye Exams
As many as 1 in 5 school-aged children in the U.S. has eye or vision problems.²
But young children typically won’t express that they are having eye problems. For this reason, the CDC³ recommends having your child checked for vision problems at:
Newborn to 3 months.
6 months to 1 year.
About 3 years.
About 5 years.
Experts recommend that children age 5 to 18 get an eye exam once a year. It’s especially important to have your child’s vision checked if someone in your family has had vision problems.
If your child wears glasses or contact lenses, they should have an eye exam every year to ensure they have the best possible prescription.
Parents, look out for signs that your child has a vision problem,¹ such as:
Squinting.
Sitting close to the TV or holding a book too close.
Tilting the head.
Covering an eye.
Frequent eye rubbing.
Sensitivity to light.
Trouble with eye-hand-body coordination.
Avoiding detailed activities like coloring and puzzles.
If you notice any of the above behaviors, contact us today at Clear Vision Eyecare to schedule your comprehensive eye exam with Dr. Koutoulas. An eye exam will identify and correct any vision problems that can interfere with your child’s learning and development.
Eye Exams for Adults
If you’re 18 or older, consider having an eye exam every 1-2 years.
Your eye doctor may recommend more frequent eye exams if:
You wear glasses or contact lenses.
You have another health condition like high blood pressure or diabetes.
You have a family history of eye disease.
By age 40, it’s a good idea to visit your optometrist on a regular basis. This is the age at which the earliest signs of eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration start to appear.
After age 60, your risk of eye disease goes up even more, so stay on top of those annual eye exams!
