Every year, you schedule appointments. Dentist appointments to care for your teeth, dermatologist appointments to care for your skin, ob-gyn appointments to look after the Queen V, and so on. But how many of us actually take the time to schedule an eye appointment?

I hate to say it, but the last time I got my eyes checked was probably back in grammar school when they had annual eye check-ups for your vision health and hearing tests for your hearing health. (Did anyone else ever freak out about not hearing those beeps in the headphones? Anyone?)

Here’s why you should schedule an eye check-up to see how your vision health is faring.

Why you should schedule an eye check-up

They say the eyes are the window to the soul — but they’re also the first line of defense against many diseases and health issues, which is why vision health is so important. 

An eye exam can do so much more than assess your vision health. It can detect things like certain types of cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and so much more. Seriously, who knew?

According to a recent study by VSP Vision Care, while most people rate their vision as their most important sense, only half of those surveyed reported getting an eye exam in the last year. (Yikes!)

What to expect at an eye check-up

Coming in for an eye check-up? Anita Mistry, WALDO’s in-house optician with 20 years of optometry experience, breaks down what to expect at your first eye check-up.

First, there’s nothing to worry about. An eye check-up is a health check of your eyes as you would do for your body.

During your appointment, the eye doctor or optometrist will first take your details along with a list of your medications (as some can affect your eyes), any family history of eye conditions as some can be hereditary, and if you’re having any specific problems that need to be addressed in the examination.

Next is a pre-examination of your eyes before the full examination. The pressure of the eyes will be measured using a machine that emits a puff of air — but don’t worry. Mistry says this doesn’t hurt, although it can take you by surprise.

The same machine can also predict what your prescription could be by how the light reflects back into your eye. This will be fine-tuned when your eyes are examined by the eye doctor.

After that, an OCT scanner scans the back of the eye and can help diagnose any problems early to prevent sight problems in the future. Lastly, there will be a field scanner to check your field of vision.

Once those steps have been taken, the eye doctor or optometrist will look over the results of the pre-examination to ensure everything looks good — and if anything comes up, they can investigate it further.

The eye doctor or optometrist will then fine-tune the prescription results from the pre-screen examination by asking you to read the letter chart and placing lenses in a frame to help correct the vision. The intermediate vision for computers and close reading vision will also be checked and so will the prescription if needed. You will also be shown how the prescription would help the vision if a prescription was found.

You’ll then be asked to place your chin against a slit lamp, which acts like a flashlight. This is used to examine your cornea, lashes, and lids and assess the overall health of the eye. Then a volk lens, which is a highly magnified lens, is used to examine the inside health of the eye.

The results of all the examinations and tests will be summarized and explained to you. Also, any prescriptions, treatments, or other recommendations will be discussed with you. If there are any concerns, your eye doctor will address them to help prevent any eye condition from getting worse.

How often should I get an eye check-up?

If you want to prioritize your vision health, you may be wondering how often you should schedule an eye check-up. Mistry says your eye doctor or optometrist will advise you of when you should have your next eye exam. Usually, they’ll recommend once every two years — but if there’s something that should be monitored, they may advise you to get an annual check-up. It varies by individual.

Tips for taking care of your vision health

Between eye check-ups, take care of your vision health with these tips from Mistry:

• Limit computer use when possible as this can make the eyes dry since we blink less when staring at screens. Follow the 20:20:20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This helps to wake your eyes up.
• Protect your eyes from UV radiation. UV radiation is accumulative, which means the effects of UV build up over time. This can cause cataracts and some eye cancers. If you have a prescription, try using UV protection contact lenses or glasses, such as WALDO lenses, which block UV rays. A wide-brimmed hat is also recommended to protect the parts of the eye that are exposed.
• Remove eye makeup daily to prevent blocking the ducts that produce tears. Regularly massaging the eyelids at the base of the lashes also prevents blocked ducts and helps tear production.
• Stay hydrated. This helps keep your eyes hydrated and prevents headaches, especially in the winter months when the heat is on or in the summer when the air conditioning is running.

Foods good for eyes

What about diet? Are there any foods that are good for eye and vision health? Mistry has her eye on a few.

Eat the rainbow! Try to eat foods that are each color of the rainbow as these would provide a range of the vitamins the eye needs.

Focus on omegas 3 and 6 and flax seeds, which can all help with tear production. Tear production helps keep the eyes moist and vision clear. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that help protect the cells of the eye as well.

Basically, eating a balanced and varied diet by including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and healthy fats will help you support your vision health.

The bottom line on vision health

As you can see (pun intended), vision health is pretty important — which is why scheduling an eye check-up is good to do at least once every two years.

The good news is, these appointments are relatively pain-free and simple. Plus, there are so many things you can do every day of the year, including eating foods that are good for your eyes, to protect your vision health.