faq's

Your eyes should be examined on average every two years, however sometimes our recommendation is to see you more frequently than this. This can be due to issues to do with your eye health or the fact that your eye focus is changing more quickly than expected. We recommend a two year examination generally because there are several eye diseases which can develop gradually without symptoms until they become much more advanced. Early detection is the key for the more successful management of any eye disease. Needless to say, if there is a change in the vision, comfort or appearance of your eyes AT ANY TIME you should come and see us straightaway. Your eye examination will still be rebatable through Medicare.

If you are a contact lens wearer, your eyes should be examined every twelve months to ensure your vision and eye health are still optimal.

Children also will usually have a more frequent examination schedule as their eyes have the potential to change quite quickly in the periods of development up until the age of eighteen.

In a word – no! At young ages, it is important to wear prescribed glasses as much as possible so vision can properly develop. Later on, wearing glasses helps prevent eyestrain and possible headaches, not to mention seeing the world with more clarity. Often patients comment that after wearing new glasses their sight without glasses seems so much blurrier than they remembered previously. I use the analogy that it’s a bit like getting a new car. Our old car can seem perfectly fine until we hop in a new car and see how much more comfortable and smooth and full of technology it is. It’s not that the old car has changed, it’s just that our perceptions have!

Your child should have their first eye exam generally at about the age of three, or earlier if you have ANY concerns about how they seeing or regarding the appearance of their eyes. Your child should then receive a comprehensive eye exam at least every year or two. School screenings are helpful to detect any severe vision problems early, but your child should still see an optometrist if there are any symptoms or if they fail the screening test.

There are several symptoms which may indicate a problem with your child’s eyes. These include rubbing eyes, squinting, turning or tilting the head, losing their place or using a finger to follow along when reading, moving head or mouthing words while reading, headaches, red eyes, eyes which turn, complaints of blurred vision. As children glean so much information about their world from their eyes, it makes perfect sense to ensure that what they are seeing is how it should be. This will confirm that their eyes are not impeding their education.

It is recommended that we take regular eye breaks when reading, using computers or tablets. If possible we should look up from extended near or computer work, spend time outdoors, not hold reading material too close and ensure that we are wearing a current lens prescription.