You know that you should go to your physician for an annual checkup to make sure your body is in good working order. You may not realize that you should see your eye doctor regularly for the same reason. Your eyes are a part of your body that should not be overlooked. Most people rely on their vision heavily during every waking moment of their lives. From the age of three years old, everyone should visit an eye doctor for an exam at least every two years. People who wear glasses or contacts and those with vision problems or eye diseases should go more frequently. Here's what you can expect when you make an appointment with your eye doctor:

1. Your eye doctor will ask you to look at a vision chart.

A vision chart helps your doctor figure out if you need contacts or glasses. They will ask you to read various letters and numbers from the chart, usually in descending size. If you can comfortably read everything on the chart, you have perfect vision. If you cannot read the chart or things look blurry, your eye doctor will use a phoropter to test out different prescription strengths for you. You'll tell them which strength helps you see the best, and your doctor will write you a glasses or contact lens prescription at the end of the exam.

2. Your eye doctor will visually examine your eyes.

Your eye doctor will shine a light in your eyes which will allow them to carefully inspect your pupils and cornea. They may want to dilate your eyes first to allow them to get a better view inside your pupils. Your eye doctor may use a slit-lamp to look for things like cataracts and macular degeneration. The light your doctor shines in your eye may make your eyes water, but this test doesn't usually last more than a minute.

3. Your doctor will test the pressure of your cornea.

If the pressure of your cornea is too high, you may have glaucoma. High corneal pressure puts you at risk of blindness and other serious complications. While your eyes are still numb from the drops your eye doctor used before dilating your eyes, your eye doctor will use a tonometer to check your eye pressure. They will press this machine against your eye, but you shouldn't feel any pain or pressure during the procedure thanks to the numbing eye drops.

For more information, contact local professionals or visit sites like http://www.josephdevenutojrmd.com.