Annual Eye Exams

Your annual eye exam involves a series of tests to evaluate your vision and screen for eye diseases. Dr Manalo may use a variety of instruments, shine bright lights directly at your eyes and request that you look through an array of lenses. Each test during an eye exam evaluates a different aspect of your vision or eye health.

An eye exam helps detect eye problems at their earliest stage, when they're most treatable. Annual eye exams give us a chance to help you correct or adapt to vision changes and provide you with tips on caring for your eyes.

In general, if you are healthy and you have no symptoms of vision problems, have your eyes checked on this schedule:

• Every 2-3 years in your 20s and 30s
• Every 2 years from 40 to 54
• Every year from 55 to 64
• Every year after age 65

Have your eyes checked more often if you:

• Wear glasses or contact lenses
• Have a family history of eye disease or loss of vision
• Have a chronic disease that puts you at greater risk of eye disease (examples: diabetes, cancer or hypertension)
• Take medications that have serious eye side effects

Sometimes an exam is necessary for a specific reason, such as the following:

• DMV examination
• Military entrance examination
• Color vision evaluation
• Peripheral vision evaluation

Upon completion of an exam, Dr. Manalo issues prescriptions and treatment recommendations, including specialty lenses like the following:

• Bifocal/progressive prescriptions
• Computer/occupational prescriptions
• Other specialty prescriptions (sports, hunting)
• Safety eyewear prescriptions

Make sure your entire family has healthy eyes. Children's eye exams are important to insure your child's eyes are healthy and have no vision problems that could interfere with learning, school performance and potentially affect your child's safety. Early intervention is key to prevent visual disability in the future.

Children's eye exam can entail the following:

• First time examination screening for visual disorder or disease, including dilated exam
• Strabismus (eye turn) evaluation
• Ambyopia ("lazy eye") evaluation
• Color vision evaluation

Early eye exams also are important because children need the following visual skills that are essential for optimal learning:

• Excellent vision at all distances
• Accurate eye movement skills
• Accurate and comfortable focusing skills
• Assessment for corrective lenses

As a mom and having years of experience with kids as patients, Dr. Manalo, takes special care of your little one's peepers.

When to have your child's eyes examined

Children should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age.

The then should have their eyes examined exams at age 3 and just before they enter kindergarten — at about age 5 or 6.

School-aged children should have an eye exam at least every two years if no vision correction is required. Children who need eyeglasses or contact lenses should be examined annually or as recommended by your eye doctor.

Scheduling your child's eye exam

When scheduling an eye exam for your child, choose a time when he or she usually is alert and happy.

Specifics of how eye exams are conducted depend on your child's age, but generally an exam will include a case history, vision testing, determination of whether a prescription is needed, testing of eye alignment, an eye health evaluation and, if needed, a corrective prescription.

We look forward to helping you achieve your best possible vision!