Comprehensive eye exams are recommended once a year for individuals of all ages. Annual eye exams are covered by Alberta Health Care for children under the age of 19 years and seniors over the age of 65 years.

Vision is beyond just seeing 20/20. There are several eye conditions where the distance vision is unaffected, yet the visual system fails to work adequately due to eye teaming and coordination problems resulting in constant eye strain and headaches. If you have good vision, the purpose of routine eye examinations is to ensure adequate eye teaming and oculomotor functions, and to screen for eye conditions that can affect the front and back of the eye. Most eye conditions are very subtle in nature when they begin making it impossible for you to detect them until they are quite advanced, which in most cases is too late to treat. These subtle signs are easily detectable by an eyecare professional when they look at the front and back of your eye during your routine eye examination. When detected early, many eye conditions are treatable to either stop or slow down their progression.