Recommended Eye Examination Frequency for Pediatric Patients and Adults

Recommended Examination Frequency For the Pediatric Patient

Patient Age	Examination Interval
	Asymptomatic / Risk Free	At Risk
Birth to 24 Months	At 6 months of age	By 6 months of age or as recommended
2 to 5 years	At 3 years of age	At 3 years of age or as recommended
6 to 18 years	Before first grade and every two years thereafter	Annually or as recommended

Children considered to be at risk for the development of eye and vision problems may need additional testing or more frequent re-evaluation. Factors placing an infant, toddler, or child at significant risk for visual impairment include:

Prematurity, low birth weight, oxygen at birth, grade III or IV intraventricular hemorrhage
Family history of retinoblastoma, congenital cataracts, or metabolic or genetic disease
Infection of mother during pregnancy (e.g., rubella, toxoplasmosis, venereal disease, herpes, cytomegalovirus, or AIDS)
Difficult or assisted labor, which may be associated with fetal distress or low Apgar scores
High refractive error
Strabismus
Anisometropia
Known or suspected central nervous system dysfunction evidenced by developmental delay, cerebral palsy, dysmorphic features, seizures, or hydrocephalus

Recommended Examination Frequency For the Adult Patient

Patient Age	Examination Interval
	Asymptomatic / Risk Free	At Risk
18 to 60 years	Every two years	Every one to two years or as recommended
61 and older	Annually	Annually or as recommended

Patients at risk include those:

with diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of ocular disease (e.g., glaucoma, macular degeneration)
working in occupations that are highly demanding visually or eye hazardous
taking prescription or nonprescription drugs with ocular side effects
wearing contact lenses
who have had eye surgery
with other health concerns or conditions.