How often should you replace your glasses?!

How often should you replace your glasses?

You should see your eye doctor every 2 years as an adult, every year as a child or more often than that even, if you are a diabetic. You should see your eye doctor regularly, not just so they can "make" you buy new glasses (as some people make it sound) but also so they can check the health of your eyes. They check for cataracts, glaucoma, and other conditions. If they were to find something suspicious or that requires treatment, they can refer you to the Ophthalmologist. And of course, they will refract you for glasses. You don't HAVE to get new ones. If you ask your doctor how much of a change you have, they will tell you and then you can decide if you want to get new ones. In my office, NO ONE is ever held at gunpoint to buy new glasses. I've had quite a few patients say to me that the doctor said it was only a slight change so they are going to put off getting new glasses for a while. We've also had people who have had only a slight change, but their lenses were totally scratched, so they replaced them because they couldn't see out them. But no one is ever FORCED to spend money on new glasses.

You should not simply wait until you notice that you're not seeing as clear through your lenses. A lot of times, you wind up squinting to see without even realizing it. Most people don't realize just how much their eyes have changed until they get their new glasses. I can't tell you how many times a patient has said, "WOW! Things look SO much better!" when I am dispensing a new pair of glasses to them. People become used to seeing the world out of focus, and don't realize it until they've been brought back to 20/20.

It amazes me how much people are willing to cut corners when it comes to their eyes. In a world where we spend so much money on frivolous crap, you'd think more people would want to take care of their eyes and make sure that their vision is clear. I think of all the people that I've know who are driving around with out-of-date prescriptions, or they ripped their contacts and have NO glasses to fall back on so they drive to the doctor's office with NOTHING in...these people are driving on the same roads as you and me...that never makes me feel safe.