You’ve heard it before: eye care is important at every age. Everyone from young children to seniors over age 65 should have regular eye care. At Elmquist Eye Group, we have the best family doctors in Cape Coral, FL and we can provide eye care for your entire family.

Your Child’s Eye Health

While most states require a child to have an eye exam before kindergarten, your child’s eye care should begin before that. Our Elmquist doctors recommend an initial eye exam at six months of age for every child, regardless of whether there is a family history of eye problems. We recommend an eye exam again at age 3 and one before starting kindergarten or first grade.

Pediatricians sometimes notice eye problems during an annual physical, but parents of young children are usually first to notice the signs, which can include difficulty reading or writing, taking longer than normal to complete homework, difficulty paying attention, or poor school performance in general.

Adult Eye Care

Eye care is just as important for senior adults over age 65. An adult’s eyes are generally healthy prior to age 40, but then vision changes start to occur. As we age, the eye lens loses elasticity which causes farsightedness – a condition called presbyopia. However, vision changes may be due to eye diseases or other conditions, so if you experience this, don’t wait. In most cases, you will just need a stronger prescription for glasses or contact lenses, but our doctors do also find occurrences of age-related eye diseases like glaucoma or macular degeneration. Sadly, most eye diseases don’t have symptoms, but if the Elmquist team can catch these disorders early, we can provide great treatments to remedy these conditions.

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you should also come see us for regular eye exams. Many diabetes patients develop a condition called diabetic retinopathy, in which the blood vessels in the eye become damaged. For all of these reasons, our expert Elmquist team recommends that adults age 65+ have two comprehensive eye exams each year. This way, we can monitor your eye health more closely.

Take Charge of Your Eye Health

Adults can take many steps toward their own eye health, including knowing about your family history for eye diseases. Maintain a healthy weight and eat a vitamin- and antioxidant-rich diet to provide your eyes with vital nutrients. Always wear sunglasses to block out the UVA and UVB radiation from our hot Florida sun. Most of us work on a computer screen for several hours per day, so it is important to take breaks every 20 minutes or so to rest and re-lubricate your eyes.

Certainly, the best way to take care of your eyes is to come to the best family eye doctors in Cape Coral, FL. We will provide regular eye exams to all of your family members, from the very young to the very old. If it’s been a while since you or a family member had an eye exam, give us a call today.