As you age, you may wonder how often seniors need an eye exam. Eye exams are customized to the individual. Your optometrist will use your general health to determine how often you need to be seen. At Eyes Over Copley in Boston, MA, we treat patients in the Greater Boston Area. Our optometry office treats many conditions and offers services for the entire family.

Seniors have one thing in common: their age. Lumping them all together in any other way is a mistake. Your eye doctor will decide how often you need an eye exam based on your unique needs and pass the recommendation on to you. Several factors go into the decision of how often seniors need eye exams.

Determining Factors for Seniors and Eye Exams

The two determining factors for eye exams for seniors are:

• age range
• general health

Age Range

Most adults should have an eye exam every 2-3 years. Those who wear contact lenses need to be seen every year. Adults over age 65 should also be seen every year, as the risk for age-related vision and eye problems is higher.

General Health

Certain chronic health conditions are a grave danger to your eyes and your vision. These include:

• diabetes
• high blood pressure

Other Things That Affect Senior Eyes

• medication with vision-related side effects
• smoking
• sun damage

Age-Related Eye Conditions

As you age, certain eye conditions are more likely to happen simply because of your age. They include age-related macular degeneration, dry eyes, glaucoma, and cataracts. By getting regular eye exams, your doctor of optometry will be able to see the signs of these conditions, as well as others, such as stroke, before they become serious.

Your eye doctor will take a complete medical history when you go in for a senior exam. With that information, they will be able to recommend the right schedule of eye exams for you.

Contact Your Greater Boston Area Optometrist Today

If you need an eye doctor in Boston, MA, Eyes Over Copley can help. Give our office a call today at (617) 859-0630 to make an appointment for an eye exam.