5 Signs You Should Book an Eye Check-up This Month

Vision degrades slowly, and the brain is very good at hiding it. Most people only book an eye examination when a headache becomes daily or a road sign at night stops making sense. Here are five practical signs that a proper eye check-up is overdue.

Key takeaways

Frequent headaches often trace back to uncorrected power.
Night driving trouble can be an early sign of cataract.
Any diabetic adult should have annual retina screening.
Children who sit too close to the TV usually need glasses.

1. Headaches by the end of the day

If your temples or the bridge of your nose ache by evening, especially after screen work, an uncorrected refractive error is the likeliest culprit. A basic refraction test takes ten minutes and can end months of unnecessary painkillers.

2. Trouble seeing at night

Halos around headlights, glare from oncoming traffic and difficulty judging distances at dusk can indicate early cataract, dry eye or a rising refractive error — all easily diagnosed.

3. Squinting or leaning forward at screens

If you have started tilting your head or moving closer to your phone to read messages, your eyes are compensating for something. Do not upgrade to a bigger phone — book a check-up.

4. Diabetes without an annual eye examination

Diabetic retinopathy is silent until it is severe. Every diabetic adult should have a dilated retina examination once a year, even with perfect sugar control.

5. A child who avoids reading or sits close to the TV

Children rarely complain of blurry vision because they assume everyone sees the way they do. Sitting close to the TV, holding books unusually near, frequent eye-rubbing or one eye drifting deserves an examination.