9 Reasons You Should Visit an Eye Doctor

3. Try a new alternative to dilation

Dilation is included in the price of your eye exam. For an extra fee, though, some private practices offer testing on Optos retinal-imaging devices. “These machines capture a wide view of the retina, even with undilated eyes,” Di Meglio says.

4. You can stop switching glasses to read the paper

Around age 40, people naturally begin to develop presbyopia, a condition in which the lens of the eye loses its ability to change shape and accommodate for different distances. “You can’t read things up close anymore, so you hold materials at an arm’s distance. But by age 55, most can’t struggle through it — their arm just isn’t long enough anymore,” Di Meglio notes. Drugstore readers might suffice, but talk to your doctor about prescription readers or progressive lenses, which can improve depth perception. (Progressives take some getting used to, so inform your doctor if you’re at risk for falls.)

5. The latest contacts could change the way you see

New materials can improve comfort and let contact lenses solve more than one vision issue at a time. For example, Acuvue Oasys with Transitions, the first light-adaptive contact lens, also has UV-blocking qualities. Bausch + Lomb Ultra Multifocal corrects both astigmatism and presbyopia. Alcon Dailies Total 1, a one-day comfort lens, uses technology to provide a moisture cushion.

6. You may be able to ditch wearing glasses forever

Cataracts — a clouding of the lens of the eye — can develop so slowly that you may not notice the difference initially. For some, cataracts begin to grow in their 50s; by age 80, more than half of Americans have had one. But cataract surgery can liberate some people from glasses altogether, Wisner says. The procedure is quick (one hour), downtime is short (no more than a few days), and new techniques mean that some people won’t need post-op eye drops.

7. You don’t need to drive with glare

If night driving is becoming increasingly challenging, ask about antireflective lenses for your glasses, Horn suggests. “If your eyes are healthy with no or minimal cataracts, antireflective lenses are the most common solution,” she says.

8. Those floaters could signal something bigger

With aging, the gel-like substance in the eyes, called the vitreous, begins to shrink; it may even separate from the retina, explains Elena Roth, M.D., an ophthalmologist with the University of Miami Health System. One symptom of this might be seeing floaters and flashes in your vision. Most of the time you won’t need to be treated for floaters, but you will need to be closely followed by your doctor to watch for a retinal tear, a complication that can lead to vision loss. The good news is that those floaters usually stop bothering you eventually. “After three to six months, the brain learns to adjust and accommodate them,” Roth says.

9. If you have diabetes, see your eye doc — it’s critical

Nearly 60 percent of people with diabetes skip their yearly eye exam, according to research from the Wills Eye Hospital. “Diabetes is a disease of blood vessels. In the eye, it causes bleeding and leakage of fluid in the retina, which can cause loss of vision,” Wisner says. If detected early, some of this loss can be reversed, but the more profound the damage, the harder it is to correct. That’s why an annual dilated exam is crucial. What’s going on in your eyes is a direct reflection of what’s happening in your kidneys, he adds; if an exam shows diabetes is not well controlled, you have an opportunity to take steps to preserve your eyesight — and the rest of your body.