Eye Exams in Cottleville, Cuba, Hillsboro, O'Fallon/Highway K, O'Fallon/Winghaven, St. Peters, and Wentzville, MO
During your complete eye exam, your eye doctor will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.
A comprehensive eye exam at our Cottleville, Cuba, Hillsboro, O'Fallon/Highway K, O'Fallon/Winghaven, St. Peters, and Wentzville locations includes a number of tests and procedures to examine and evaluate the health of your eyes and the quality of your vision. These tests range from simple ones, like having you read an eye chart, to complex tests, such as using a high-powered lens to examine the health of the tissues inside of your eyes.
A common test that should be done every other year for patients is dilation. This is a test where we have dilating drops put into your eyes and our doctors get a view of the back of your eye to screen for potential diseases. It is important to have this done at least every other visit so the doctor can monitor any changes. For those patients that have diabetes, this is a test that needs to be monitored every year.
Sometimes dialiation can be inconvenient. The drops leave you with light sensitive and blurry near vision for approximately 3-4 hours. Another option we give our patients is a test called the Optomap or Optos photo. Please go to our "Advanced Technology" tab to learn more about this option.
How Often Do You Need An Exam?
The AOA also recommends an annual eye exam for any adult who wears eyeglasses or contacts. If you don't normally need vision correction, you still need an eye exam every two to three years up to the age of 40, depending on your rate of visual change and overall health. Our eye doctors often recommend more frequent examinations for adults with diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders, because many diseases can have an impact on vision and eye health.
If you are over 40, it's a good idea to have your eyes examined every year to check for common age-related eye problems such as presbyopia, cataracts and macular degeneration. Read more about Vision After 40.
Because the risk of eye disease continues to increase with advancing age, everyone over the age of 60 should be examined annually. Read more about Vision After 60.
From our offices in Cottleville, Cuba, Hillsboro, O'Fallon/Highway K, O'Fallon/Winghaven, St. Peters, and Wentzville, MO, Regional Eyecare serves patients in the local St. Charles county.