Texas State Optical Doctors of Optometry are on the forefront of eye care and take great pride in offering patients comprehensive eye exams and quality eyewear. The information here provides you with general eye care information. If you have specific questions about your personal eye care needs, go to the upper left-hand corner to find the office location nearest you. Give the office a call. You will find doctors and staff members ready to help you.

The importance of an annual eye exam at TSO
The most common vision problems are focusing problems, often called refractive errors. Fortunately, these conditions can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or laser vision correction.

When you begin to notice a problem with your vision, it's time for an eye exam to find out if you need a new prescription for corrective eyewear. Even when you're not experiencing problems, regular eye exams can prevent serious eye conditions that sometimes give us little or no clues at all. Evaluation of the ocular effects of diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, cataracts, glaucoma and conditions involving the retina (the back of the eye) are just a few of the problems that can be detected. That's why an annual visit to your TSO Doctor of Optometry should be an important part of your annual health care plan.

During your TSO eye exam, your Doctor of Optometry checks how well your eyes work together and alone with your brain to create images of the world around you - colors, light, shapes and sizes. You will be asked questions about your health history, your family's medical history, instances of eye problems in the past, and your work and lifestyle habits.

Why children need eye exams
Studies have determined that 88% of learning is visual. When you consider that one in four children ages 5 to 12 has an undiagnosed vision problem, you'll understand why educational performance is likely to be affected by poor vision. Unfortunately, children with vision problems often have no way of knowing that they see differently than other children. It is the responsibility of the parents to help children reach their potential by making sure they are free of vision problems.

All children should have their eyes examined at or before their fourth birthday. It there is a family history of misaligned eyes, childhood cataracts or a serious eye disease, they should have their eyes examined by age three.