*Updated November 2022

Your eyes can tell you a lot about your health. Pay attention and they’ll tell you about problems you may not even know about. That’s the power of an annual eye exam. Protect your vision and overall health with regular visits to the eye doctor.

Eye exams help detect serious problems sooner

Your eyes can be windows to your health. Serious health problems show early signs through your eyes—ones you don’t want to miss. A visit to your eye doctor can help detect signs of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, as well as eye diseases like cataracts and glaucoma.Catching these diseases early makes it easier to treat them sooner.

Eye exams fight tech with tech

Every day, we spend hours staring at phones, laptops, and tablets. These screens put out blue light. Reports suggest overexposure may cause blurry vision, difficulty focusing, dry and irritated eyes, and headaches. 

Turn the tables on the digital age with a digital eye exam. Your eye doctor will be able to detect any changes in your eyes due to screen exposure and may recommend investing in blue light glasses, which help protect your eyes.

Eye exams at every age

Eye exams are important at every age, whether you are one or 101. Everyone is susceptible to vision problems, which can affect their quality of life. Here are some key takeaways:

• Babies and toddlers: Should have their first eye exam between six and 12 months.
• School-age children: One in four may have vision problems that may affect learning.
• Adults: Over 75 percent of adults living in the United States use vision correctors.
• Seniors: The most common sufferers of glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration.
• Moms-to-be: Pregnancy can cause vision changes that your doctor should know about.

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Roughly 75% of Americans experience vision symptoms that require eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other care, according to the Vision Council of America.¹

That means most of us are finding it harder to read restaurant menus or locate a good seat in the theater.

If you’re seeing the world a little out of focus, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Researchers and doctors are constantly working to find better ways to pinpoint the causes of eye conditions and remedy them.

So, don’t fret the seat or the entrée list. Resolving eyesight issues is a straightforward process; it just takes a little understanding of what eye symptoms mean, and then working with your eye doctor to choose the right lenses for that condition.

Check out this list of prevalent eye conditions, vision symptoms, and the best lenses to correct the problem for happy eye health.

Farsightedness

Anyone who can read the subtitles on a movie screen but cannot read the headlines on his or her computer is familiar with farsightedness. It is a vision condition that makes nearby objects appear blurry, while faraway objects remain clear. Farsightedness usually occurs at birth and tends to be hereditary. The condition is easily corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses prescribed by a doctor.²

Nearsightedness

Nearsightedness is a condition that inhibits one’s ability to see objects that are far away, such as that highway exit sign or a performer on stage. Also, a condition that tends to run in families, nearsightedness (or “myopia”) often worsens during childhood or adolescence. Like farsightedness, it can be corrected easily with eyeglasses or contact lenses.³

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is often accused of arriving at our doorstep the day we turn 40. Like farsightedness, it refers to the eyes’ diminishing ability to focus on objects that are close to us. It often becomes noticeable in our early 40s and unfortunately worsens until about age 65. A simple eye exam can diagnose presbyopia, and it can be readily fixed with eyeglasses or contacts.⁴

Astigmatism

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea on the surface of the eye or the lens inside the eye curves differently from one direction to the other. The result is blurriness at all distances, and possibly eye strain and headaches. Those who have an astigmatism often are born with it. Astigmatism can be diagnosed with a vision test and a painless exam to check the curvature of the cornea.⁵

Fortunately, most people younger than 60 can have their vision problems corrected with glasses or contact lenses. The key is seeing an eye doctor as soon as objects get fuzzy, and then simply enjoying life through a new lens.

Learn more about our vision plans.

• 1 “US optical overview and outlook,” The Vision Council (December 2015). Accessed December 2019.
• 2 Diseases and Conditions, Farsightedness, Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/farsightedness/basics/definition/CON-20027486.
• 3 Diseases and Conditions, Nearsightedness, Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/farsightedness/basics/definition/CON-20027486
• 4 Diseases and Conditions, Presbyopia, Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/presbyopia/basics/definition/con-20032261.
• 5 Diseases and Conditions, Astigmatism, Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/astigmatism/basics/definition/con-20022003