A lot of people live with vision that is not quite right for years without realising it. The headaches, the squinting, the need to sit closer to the screen: they become normal. But they do not have to be.
If any of the following sounds familiar, it is worth booking an eye test. At Prime Optometrists Auburn, eye tests are bulk billed under Medicare, so there is no cost if you are eligible.
Signs your vision might need correcting
Headaches that build through the day. If your head feels fine in the morning but aches by afternoon, especially after screen work, reading, or driving, your eyes may be working harder than they should to maintain focus.
Squinting at screens or road signs. Squinting partially closes the eyelid, which narrows the amount of light entering the eye and temporarily sharpens the image. It is your body compensating for a prescription you do not have yet.
Blurry text that clears when you move closer or further away. This is a classic sign of either short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hyperopia), or presbyopia (the gradual loss of near focus that starts around age 40 to 45).
Difficulty reading in dim light. If low light makes reading disproportionately hard, or if you need significantly more light than you used to, it can signal a change in prescription or early lens changes inside the eye.
Double vision or words that move on the page. This is often a sign of a binocular vision issue, where the two eyes are not working together efficiently. It can cause both headaches and difficulty concentrating while reading.
Tired eyes by mid-afternoon. Eye fatigue after sustained visual work is normal in small doses. If it is happening daily and noticeably affecting your concentration, it warrants investigation.
What the eye test actually measures
A comprehensive eye test at Prime Optometrists Auburn covers more than just whether you can read the letters on the chart. We measure the exact prescription for each eye, how well your eyes work together as a pair, the health of your cornea, lens, and retina, your intraocular pressure (relevant to glaucoma), and how your eyes track and converge on close targets. This level of detail is what identifies the cause of symptoms that a basic vision screening would miss.
You do not need symptoms to book an eye test
The Australian optometry guidelines recommend a comprehensive eye test every two years for most adults and every year for people over 65, diabetics, and those with a family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration. Many eye conditions, including glaucoma and early macular degeneration, cause no symptoms until significant damage has occurred.
We welcome patients from Auburn, Berala, Regents Park, Lidcombe, Granville, Merrylands, Parramatta, Guildford, Strathfield, Concord, Burwood, Campsie, and across Western Sydney. Book online or call (02) 9761 0005. We are at 43 Auburn Road, Auburn NSW 2144, open six days a week including Saturday mornings.