How Often Does Your Eye Prescription Change?

As you age and develop, your eye prescription will change… And so will many other aspects of your vision! Health experts recommend regular vision tests so you can track vision changes and protect your vision long term.

What Does Your Eye Prescription Measure?

You probably know the purpose of your eye prescription is to give you the numbers you need to correct your vision. But what do those numbers really mean?

Your eye prescription will contain:

Sphere

This is the amount of lens power, measured in diopters (D), prescribed to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. If there is a minus sign (-), it means you are nearsighted. If there is a plus sign (+), it means you are farsighted.

Cylinder

If you have astigmatism, this is the lens power number to correct it. If you don’t have astigmatism or have very low levels of astigmatism, you won’t have a cylinder number.

Axis

The number for axis is the degree and direction of your astigmatism.

ADD

If you have presbyopia, you will have an ADD number to your prescription. ADD is the added magnifying power applied to the lower part of your glasses to correct presbyopia. The number appearing in this section of the prescription is always a “plus” power, even if there is no plus sign.

How Often Does Your Eye Prescription Change?

Here’s how your eye prescription may change as you age:

• Myopia first occurs in school-age children. Because the eye continues to grow during childhood, it typically progresses until about age 20.
• Myopia can worsen into your mid-20s.
• Most people develop presbyopia after the age of 35.
• Astigmatism can change incrementally with age, and may impact your eye prescription from year to year

This is the recommended eye exam frequency based on age by the American Association of Optometry:

Under 3 years old: every 6 months

3-25 years old: every year

26-45: every two years

45-65: every year

65+: every 6 months

How Can I Know When My Vision Changes?

Most vision insurance plans only cover one annual eye exam with your eye doctor. What if you want to stay up-to-date with your vision changes? This is why EyeQue developed the award-winning VisionCheck.

With VisionCheck, you can test your eyes and monitor vision changes anytime you want from home, work, or any other location. This device provides you with real-time results you can access on your smartphone or desktop computer. VisionCheck provides you with EyeGlass Numbers that you can use to order glasses online from select retailers.