No matter how old you are or how healthy you are, it’s important to get your eyes checked regularly.

During a full eye exam, your eye doctor will not only figure out if you need glasses or contacts, but they will also check for common eye diseases, see how well your eyes work together, and look at your eyes as a sign of how healthy you are overall.

A full eye exam includes a number of tests and treatments to check the health of your eyes and see how well you can see. Some of these tests are easy, like having you read an eye chart. Others are more complicated, like using a high-powered lens to look at the health of the cells inside your eyes.

PEC experts say you should get a full eye exam every one to three years, based on your age, health, and risk factors.

Children. Some experts say that between 5% and 10% of kids in pre-school and 25% of kids in school have eye problems. The American Optometric Association (AOA) says that all children should have their eyes checked when they are six months old, three years old, and when they start school. Then, children who don’t have vision problems or risk factors for eye or vision problems should keep getting their eyes checked at least every two years while they are in school.

Children who already have vision problems or who are at risk for them should have their eyes checked more often. Some common causes of vision problems are:

• When a baby is born too soon, their growth is slowed down.
• eyes down or crossed
• a history of eye sickness in the family
• history of eye injuries or other diseases or illnesses

The American Optometric Association says that children who wear glasses or contact lenses should have their eyes checked at least once a year or as their eye doctor tells them to. Read more about Eye Exams for Children.

Adults. The AOA also says that adults who wear glasses or contacts should get an eye test once a year. Even if you don’t usually need glasses or contacts, you still need an eye exam every two to three years until you’re 40, based on how quickly your eyesight changes and how healthy you are in general. Adults with diabetes, high blood pressure, and other diseases that can affect vision and eye health are often told by their doctors to get their eyes checked more often.

If you are over 40, you should get your eyes checked every one to two years to look for common eye problems that come with age, like presbyopia, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Vision After 40 has more information.

Because the chance of eye disease keeps going up with age, everyone over 60 should get their eyes checked every year. Learn more about How to See After 60.