OPTX Optometry - Los Angeles & Valencia

How often should I have a Sight Test?

We recommend that you have your eyes checked once every year, but this may vary depending upon the nature of your prescription. At the very least, you should have your sight checked once per two years. Should you wear contact lenses, a more frequent interval of every 12 months is advised. These recommended intervals assume that you are not experiencing any symptoms of visual change.

Why do we become more "far-sighted" as we grow older?

This is due to a progressive change that occurs within the natural lens of the eye and is called Presbyopia. Although similar to far-sightedness in its effect, these two conditions are not identical. Please see far-sightedness and presbyopia for more information.

How long can I wear my contact lenses in a day?

You should never exceed an average of 12 hours of lens wear per day. If you require longer wearing times because of your lifestyle, speak to your Optometrist about lenses that allow more oxygen to your eyes. Some individuals mistakenly believe that it is okay to wear one pair of lenses for some of the day and then change over to another pair for the rest of the day and so extend their wearing time. The suggested 12 hour wearing period is not specific to one pair of lenses. It means that in a day your eyes should never have more than 12 hours of lens wear irrespective of how many pairs you choose to wear!

My close-up vision is not as good as it used to be - is this normal?

Yes - this change in your near vision focus happens to everyone and is called Presbyopia. The effect of presbyopia is similar to that of longsightedness, but they are not the same. See Lingo for more information.

What does the eye exam involve?

An Eye Exam allows the Optometrist to:

Determine any relevant prescription for your eyes (far or Near-sighted, Astigmatism, Presbyopia)
Check that the muscles of the eyes work together
Check your Eye Health and screen for any associated general health problems
Perform any further testing as deemed necessary like Eye Pressures, Visual Fields, Color Vision or Pupil Dilation