The primary difference is that an ophthalmologist can perform surgery on your eye. Otherwise, both professionals can examine your eyes, determine glasses prescrtiptions as well as fit contact lenses, diagnose and treat eye diseases, and write prescriptions for medications. If you need surgery for treatment or correction of an ocular condition we would refer you to an ophthalmologist specializing in that condition.

It is now recommended that a child have their eye examination by their first birthday. Eye exams are then scheduled at ages 3 and 5 and than every year thereafter. Very few pediatricians are reminding parents of the importance of this. So, if your child is past this age – any time is good time for their first exam.

The average adult wearing glasses should have their eyes examined yearly. Any adult wearing contact lenses must be examined every year to maintain a valid contact lens prescription. Those lucky adults who need no correction and have no health conditions still need their eyes checked yearly. The motto is “Check Yearly, See Clearly!”

Visual acuity is the standard of measure that is used to determine how well you see. In other words, it’s a determination of your entire visual system’s resolution. We measure your acuity at distance and near. The term 20/20 is the given acuity for “normal” eyesight. On average, most people can attain 20/20 eyesight. The top number is the testing distance from the eye chart to your eye. The bottom number is the size of the letter on the eye chart you are able to see. There are specific units of measure to the bottom number, but we typically don’t list them anymore. Just remember that the smaller the bottom number is the you can see clearly, the better your eyesight.

To be legally blind is to have vision that cannot be corrected better than 20/200 with the use of contact lenses or glasses. These people have some amount of vision, but it is significantly reduced. This is either with or without their visual device. For example, what a person with 20/200 vision can only see at 20 feet, a normal person can see standing way back at 200 feet.

To be legally blind is to have vision that cannot be corrected better than 20/200 with the use of contact lenses or glasses. These people have some amount of vision, but it is significantly reduced. This is either with or without their visual device. For example, what a person with 20/200 vision can only see at 20 feet, a normal person can see standing way back at 200 feet.

To be legally blind is to have vision that cannot be corrected better than 20/200 with the use of contact lenses or glasses. These people have some amount of vision, but it is significantly reduced. This is either with or without their visual device. For example, what a person with 20/200 vision can only see at 20 feet, a normal person can see standing way back at 200 feet.

To be legally blind is to have vision that cannot be corrected better than 20/200 with the use of contact lenses or glasses. These people have some amount of vision, but it is significantly reduced. This is either with or without their visual device. For example, what a person with 20/200 vision can only see at 20 feet, a normal person can see standing way back at 200 feet.

To be legally blind is to have vision that cannot be corrected better than 20/200 with the use of contact lenses or glasses. These people have some amount of vision, but it is significantly reduced. This is either with or without their visual device. For example, what a person with 20/200 vision can only see at 20 feet, a normal person can see standing way back at 200 feet.