Eye doctors advise a yearly checkup to ensure your vision is in good shape and detect any underlying problems early on. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 93 million adults in the United States are at significant risk for serious eye damage, but only half have visited an eye doctor in the past year.

Here are reasons to have a yearly checkup at your eye doctor.

1. To Ensure Your Vision Is in Good Shape

Eye checkups can help diagnose common eye conditions. If left undetected, these conditions could lead to permanent vision loss.

In addition, eye doctors can also look for early signs of eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. These diseases often have no warning symptoms until significant vision loss has occurred.

2. To Get a New Prescription

If you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, your eye doctor will likely need to update your prescription annually. The prescription may change due to the natural progression of your vision or if you've had a recent change in your eyeglass frame or contact lens type.

A yearly checkup is also a good time to examine your eyes for glasses if you don't normally wear them. This is especially important if you're planning to travel to a foreign country where the prescription eyeglasses standards may be different from what you're used to.

3. Detection of Other Health Problems

Your eyes can provide valuable clues about your overall health. For example, changes in the blood vessels in the retina can be an early sign of high blood pressure or diabetes.

In some cases, eye doctors can even detect cancerous tumors during a routine checkup. So if you haven't had a checkup in a while, it's a good idea to make an appointment with your eye doctor to rule out any other health concerns.

4. To Update Your Eyeglass Frame Style

Just like your hair and clothes, your eyeglasses style may also go out of fashion over time. A yearly checkup is a good opportunity to update your look with a new pair of eyeglasses frames.

Your eye doctor can help you find the perfect frames that suit your face shape and personality. If you already have a prescription, they can order the frames directly from the optical lab.

Final Thought

These are just a few of the many reasons why you should have a yearly checkup with your eye doctor. If you haven't had an appointment in a while, now is the time to make one.