There is no substitute for a complete annual, eye exam with dilation by an eye doctor. However, we find that many conditions, and treatments, often, but not always, fall into age groups:
Infants and children:
- Amblyopia (lazy eye)
- Strabismus (eye muscle disorder)
- Retinopathy of Prematurity (most often diagnosed in premature babies, or while still in the hospital)
Elementary School through Middle School:
- Myopia (nearsightedness) usually treated with glasses
Middle school through college:
- Contact lenses
- Glasses
- LASIK laser vision correction (can correct refractive vision issues) for those 18 years or older
Ages 21 through 39
- Myopia (nearsightedness) usually treated with glasses
Ages 40 to 60
- Myopia (nearsightedness) usually treated with glasses
- Hyperopia (farsightnedness) often treated with over the counter reading glasses. Also, laser surgery can treat hyperopia
- Presbyopia (visual disturbance due to the aging eye), often treated with multifocal glasses, laser vision correction, corneal implants or presbyopic lens extraction
- Dry Eye Disease (insufficient tears or other tear dysfunction)
- Glaucoma (loss of vision, sometimes permanent, caused by increased eye pressure, sometimes related to swollen nerve endings)
- Diabetic Retinopathy (diabetic eye disease), especially in those with already-diagnosed Type I or Type II diabetes
- Posterior vitreous detachment
- Typically, a complete, dilated eye exam is recommended every 1 year
Ages 65 and Older
- Any of the above in the Ages 40 to 60 category, plus
- Cataract (a hardening of the natural lens of the eye). This is repaired by cataract extraction surgery, which is the most commonly performed surgery in the United States. Typically covered by Medicare for distance vision only with out-of-pocket options to allow for the treatment of presbyopia or astigmatism at the same time. With elective options, most cataract surgery patients are glasses-free for life.
- Dry Eye Disease (insufficient tears or other tear dysfunction)
- Posterior vitreous detachment
- Age Related Macular Degeneration
