Eye Doctors serving patients in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake

Why an annual eye exam?

By Gontarek Eye Care – 8/15/20

Our eye doctors would like to gently remind you that your eye sight is precious and that there are many eye conditions that have no symptoms in the early stages. People often think, “If I am seeing fine, then my eyes must be healthy.” Unfortunately, that is not always true!

March is national SAVE YOUR VISION month and our eye care clinic urges you to take care of your eyes by having an annual eye exam. You most likely do an annual physical because prevention is vital to your overall health. That same principle is just as important when it comes to your ocular health.

Eye exams are necessary for kids ages 6mos – 5 years to insure good ocular health and proper growth and development. Many cases of amblyopia (“lazy eye”) are missed during this time because parents don’t think their young child can even have an eye exam. They conclude, how can such a young person have their vision checked if they can’t speak yet or don’t know their letters? However, our eye doctors serving patients in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake have many objective testing procedures that allow us to perform a very good evaluation.

Eye exams are necessary for school aged kids to insure good ocular health and proper visual efficiency. 80% of what we learn is through the visual system. Being able to see 20/20 is only one component of the visual system. Binocularity, teaming, tracking, and focusing efficiency are vital in the learning process. Passing the vision test at school or the pediatrician’s office is not enough.

Eye exams are necessary for adults to insure good ocular health and comfortable vision. There are many health conditions that you can develop as an adult that can affect your eyes and vision. Sometimes, it is during an eye exam that signs of these systemic conditions are first found! High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes can all affect the internal eye.

If it has been over a year since your last eye exam, please contact our eye care office to schedule an appointment at (757) 966-2206.  We are happy to help all of the members of your family!


About our eye care office

Since 2010, our eye doctors have provided families in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake with the best eye care possible. Our eye care clinic is rooted in the philosophy of good old fashioned honesty and customer service – and our patients appreciate that. Our eye doctors and staff provide everything from an eye exam or eye exams for the entire family, to state-of-the-art contact lenses to co-managing surgical patients.