Commonly asked questions in my office are: “When should I get my eyes examined?” and “How often should I get my eyes examined?”

The most common reason people have an eye exam is to receive a prescription to be filled with either glasses or contact lenses. There is no set amount of time, although, in many studies, routine exams should be given every two to three years. Whether needing a new prescription or not, young children to elderly adults should be checked to make sure the complete health of their eyes is 100 percent.

Even though it's a great start in early detection, children's vision screening at school is not a thorough enough exam, even though it is a great service provided by our schools. There are many parts to a thorough exam that help to detect any anomalies or potential health problems with your eyes.

A few questions that you can ask yourself:

• Do you or a family member wear glasses?

• Do you or anyone in your immediate family have high blood pressure or diabetes?

• Have you or a family member been diagnosed or treated for cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration or other eye problems?

• Do you spend hours on a computer screen or experience eye strain after working on a computer?

• Do you have problems seeing clearly while driving at night?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you should have a routine eye exam regardless of whether you feel you need glasses or contact lenses, even though this is the main reason people have their eyes examined. A routine eye exam is no less important than a routine physical by your general physician.

The most important part of the exam is information regarding the patient and their family history. This is where information is gathered by the optometrist or ophthalmologist: by reading the patient's history form, listening to the patient and simply watching the patient's actions throughout the exam. Many eye anomalies are very genetic as well as lifestyle-oriented. Therefore, knowing a family history or even the patient's profession can be the first step in correcting not only the patient's chief complaint, but can help to detect any unseen eye problems that may be occurring or could occur.

Genetics, age, occupation and hobbies are very important in identifying and correcting the visual needs of a patient, as well as knowing if a patient is at a higher risk of a more serious ocular problem, which can be detected today.

Two of the most typical complaints come from people who are exposed to indoor and outdoor environmental factors. People that work in outdoor occupations and hobbyists should be aware of environmental factors, such as glare and UV rays that can be harmful and cause premature eye problems. A good preventative measure to many of these problems is simply wearing sunglasses with good UV filters and polarized lenses. Occupations that spend hours staring at computer screens or sitting under fluorescent lights need just as much protection for their eyes to relieve eye strain and fatigue. Besides having your normal corrective lenses, if needing any at all, there are many anti-reflective coatings and other devices used to reduce annoying glare and reflections. Anti-reflective coatings relieve your eyes from strain and fatigue from computer screens, office lights and night driving.

So going back to the first question, when and how often should I get my eyes examined? Your eyes are like a window to your body and can be used to detect many things going on in your body. Early detection of a problem betters the chances for a successful treatment. Regular eye exams are the best way to ensure healthy vision now and throughout your lifetime.

Mark DiVietro is an optician at Silbert Optical in Auburn.