If your glasses still work and you can read the menu at your favorite spot on Wabash, it's easy to keep pushing your next eye exam. A year turns into two. Two turns into "I'll get to it." We see it every week — and we get it. You're busy. Nothing hurts. So why go?
Here's the honest answer.
The Short Answer
Most healthy adults should get a comprehensive eye exam once a year. Some should come in more often. Which group you're in depends less on your age and more on what your eyes are doing between visits.
That's not a marketing line. It's how we actually decide with patients in our downtown Chicago office.
Why the "Every Two Years" Rule Is Outdated for Many Adults
The old advice — "if you don't wear glasses, come in every two years" — was written for a different era. Two things have changed:
- Screen time. Most working adults now stare at some kind of screen 6 to 10 hours a day.
- Adult-onset conditions. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and dry eye disease all show up in your eyes early — sometimes before anything else. A yearly exam catches those quietly.
If your day looks like most of our downtown patients' — laptop, phone, meetings, more laptop — once a year is the right rhythm.
Five Signs You're Overdue (Even If You Just Went Last Year)
- Your glasses or contacts don't feel as sharp as they used to.
- You get more headaches by late afternoon, especially at work.
- Your eyes feel tired, gritty, or watery by the end of the day.
- You've been squinting to read things you didn't have to squint at before.
- Something has changed with your health — new diabetes diagnosis, blood pressure meds, pregnancy, thyroid.
Any one of those is a good reason to book. All five is a very good reason.
Not sure which one is you? Book an appointment with our downtown office, or give us a call — we'll help you figure it out.
How Often, By Situation
- Healthy adults, no glasses, no risk factors: every 1–2 years
- Contact lens wearers: every year (required for your prescription anyway)
- Glasses wearers with a stable prescription: every year
- Anyone with diabetes: every year
- Anyone with a family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration: every year
- Long-hour screen users with dry eye symptoms: every 6–12 months
- Pregnancy or major hormonal change: check in, even off cycle
Common Mistakes We See
- Waiting until vision gets blurry. Many conditions don't cause blurry vision until they're advanced.
- Assuming a vision screening at the DMV or a health fair counts. It doesn't — those are pass/fail, not diagnostic.
- Renewing an old contact prescription online instead of coming in. That skips the health part of the exam.
What a Yearly Exam Can Catch
Some of the most useful findings come from visits where the patient only expected a prescription update. A few extra minutes on a full exam can pick up early changes in the retina that don't cause any symptoms yet. Nothing to panic about, but exactly the kind of thing that only shows up on a real exam, and exactly why a yearly visit lets us compare one year to the next.
That is the entire case for making the appointment before something feels wrong.
FAQ
What if I've never had an eye exam as an adult?
No judgment. Your first visit is a longer conversation, and we'll build a baseline together.
Ready to Book?
Your eyes rarely make a scene when something starts to change. A once-a-year visit is the quiet insurance policy. If it's been a while — or you're new to the neighborhood — book an appointment with Pelini Eyecare and let's take a real look.
Results may vary. For advice about your own eyes, see Dr. Pelini.
