Had Your Eyes Checked Lately?

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"What we hear most of the time is, 'I'm not having any problems. My eyes don't hurt, and I think I see pretty good,' " Beebe said. "They don't realize a lot of eye diseases don't have any symptoms in the early stages, which is where you'd like to treat those kinds of problems."

For example, vision loss for people with glaucoma occurs at the edges of the visual field, Iwach said.

"By the time you realize something is wrong, a lot of vision loss has occurred," he said. "But if we catch it earlier, there's a lot we can do."

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And, he says, eye doctors and eye-care specialists also might be able to catch other things that are wrong simply by peering into and testing someone's eyes.

"The eye is very unique," Iwach said. "It's the only place in the body we can see a bare vein, artery and nerve. We can actually see the back of the eye and the optic nerve. This can give us clues and tips that there might be other systemic diseases going on."

For example, some problems of the eye can serve as early warning signs of diabetes, he said.

The American Optometric Association recommends that adults get their vision checked at least every two years, even if they don't perceive any problem with their sight. Children should have their vision tested at 6 months of age, 3 years old and right before they enter first grade and then every two years thereafter.

The association's survey found that eight of 10 kids aren't getting that first vision test by age 1. "Parents figure they must see fine, they aren't complaining, and I don't see a problem," Beebe said. "But kids have no base to compare what they're supposed to be seeing. They can't tell something's wrong."

You also should see an ophthalmologist at least once by age 40, according to new guidelines set by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who have specialized in eyesight and are the best-trained of all eye-care providers. "It puts us in an ideal position to make assessments of risk," Iwach said.

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