It is impossible to overstate the need for taking care of your vision. Good vision health is important for people of any age, from toddlers to the elderly. Early eye examinations in preschoolers and later vision check-ups as needed can help detect and correct a host of problems. A visit to the optometrist can ensure that your eyes are in good shape, and if not, fix or improve the situation.

Children should visit an optometrist when they are young, and if there is a history of vision problems in the family, as some are genetically inherited, the sooner the problem is caught, the better. Amblyopia, commonly and erroneously called lazy eye because one eye is working harder and the other eye is weaker, and strabismus, a condition where the eyes are not in even alignment, are often seen in children. In cases where one of these conditions is known to trouble an older sibling, younger brothers and sisters can often avoid corrective surgery by early preventive care. "Patching" one eye to make the other work harder is often a painless treatment.

Adults need periodic eye exams as well, as some diseases can develop without your noticing anything wrong with your vision. Common adult problems are cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Especially for diabetics, the vital nature of optometry cannot be stressed enough. Yearly visits are encouraged to maintain eyesight and detect problems in their infancy.

Amazing advances in vision technology have now made it possible to surgically eliminate the need for corrective eyewear in some adult patients. Laser eye surgery yearly enables thousands of adults to abandon glasses and contacts, leaving many of them with 20/20 vision for the first time in their lives.

It is clich to say that you have only one pair of eyes so you should take care of them, but it is the truth. Making a visit to the optometrist takes very little time, but the improvement you gain in your vision can last a lifetime.