Home › Specialities › Eye check-up › Eye check after 40

What should an eye check-up after 40 include?

Forty is when many people first notice that the newspaper or the phone has to be held further away. That change is normal and is easily helped with spectacles; read reading glasses after 40. But 40 is also the age when several eye diseases that give no early warning begin to become more common. A full eye check-up at 40 looks for them, and gives the eye doctor a record to compare against at every later visit.

What changes in the eyes after 40?

Near focus

The lens inside the eye slowly stiffens and focuses less well up close (presbyopia). Reading in dim light, threading a needle and reading medicine labels get harder first.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma (kala motia in Hindi, kachbindu in Marathi) damages the optic nerve, usually without pain or blur at first. Side vision goes first, and most people do not notice until the damage is advanced. Indian studies suggest that most people with glaucoma do not know they have it. Lost vision cannot be brought back, but treatment can usually protect the sight that remains, which is why finding it early matters so much. The risk rises with age, and is higher if a parent, brother or sister has glaucoma.

Cataract

The lens slowly becomes cloudy (motibindu in Konkani and Marathi, motiyabind in Hindi). This usually troubles people from their 50s or 60s, but can start earlier with diabetes, long-term steroid use, high short sight, an old eye injury or years of strong sun. In India's national blindness survey (2015-19), cataract was the main cause of blindness in people over 50. Read the early signs of cataract.

Diabetes and blood pressure

Many people learn they have diabetes or high BP in their 40s. Both can change the retina before vision drops. In Goa, the ICMR-INDIAB study (2023) found diabetes in about one in four adults, so the retina check at 40 is especially important here.

Dry eye

Tears tend to reduce with age, especially in women after menopause, and long screen hours and air conditioning add to it.

Floaters and flashes

The clear gel inside the eye changes with age, and a few floaters are common. A sudden shower of new floaters, flashes of light or a curtain over part of your vision can mean a retinal tear or detachment and needs to be seen the same day; see eye emergencies.

Macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration affects the centre of the retina, used for reading and faces. It mostly appears from the late 50s onwards; a check-up at 40 gives a baseline.

What is tested at an eye check-up after 40?

• Vision and spectacle power for distance, for reading and, if you use one, for your screen distance.
• Eye pressure (tonometry), one of the main glaucoma checks.
• The front of the eye and the lens under the microscope, for early cataract, dry eye and pterygium (a fleshy growth on the white of the eye, common with Goa's sun, wind and salt air).
• The drainage angle. If the space where fluid drains out of the eye looks narrow, the eye doctor may advise a laser treatment called YAG iridotomy to lower the risk of a sudden rise in pressure. This laser is done at ReNew Vision.
• The retina and optic nerve, usually after drops that widen the pupils, for glaucoma damage, diabetic and BP changes and the macula.

Retina scans and visual field tests are not done at ReNew Vision. If the eye doctor feels you need one, they will explain the next step. For the full list of what a check-up covers, see eye check-ups in Vasco.

Why does a baseline at 40 matter?

Many eye changes are slow. A record of your eye pressure, the look of your optic nerve and your spectacle power at 40 lets the eye doctor see small changes at later visits that a single check-up could not show. Keep your report and prescription safe, and bring them each time.

How often after 40?

With healthy eyes, many eye doctors advise a check every two to four years until about 54, every one to three years from 55 to 64, and every one to two years from 65. Diabetes, high BP, glaucoma in the family, high short sight or an old eye injury usually mean every year. Read how often to get your eyes checked.

Who should not wait until 40?

• anyone with diabetes, from the time it is found
• anyone with glaucoma in a parent, brother or sister
• people with high spectacle power, an old eye injury or long-term steroid use
• anyone with symptoms: blur, glare, eye pain, redness, flashes or floaters

Signs to come in sooner

• glare from headlights when driving at night, or haloes around lights
• spectacle power that keeps changing
• losing your place when reading, or straight lines that look wavy
• bumping into things on one side
• a red or painful eye, or eye pain with a headache

Making the most of the visit

• Bring all your spectacles, including any ready-made reading glasses.
• Bring recent sugar and BP reports and a list of your medicines.
• Ask your parents and siblings whether anyone has glaucoma, and tell the eye doctor.
• Do not drive after dilating drops; bring someone or plan a taxi or bus.

The Eye OPD at ReNew Vision, Vaddem, Vasco runs Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm; come early in the OPD if drops are likely. Call or WhatsApp 072489 88039. Directions are on the visit page.

Questions patients ask

Why is 40 the age for a full eye check-up?

Near vision starts to change around 40, and the risk of glaucoma, cataract and diabetic eye disease begins to rise. These can damage the eye before you notice anything, so a full check-up at 40 finds them early and sets a baseline.

I only need reading glasses. Do I still need a full eye check-up?

Yes, at least once around 40. Reading glasses fix near focus, but they do not show whether your eye pressure, lens, retina and optic nerve are healthy.

Does glaucoma have symptoms?

Usually not in the early stages. The common type does not hurt, and side vision is lost so slowly that most people do not notice. An eye pressure test and an optic nerve examination are how it is found.

Can cataract start in your 40s?

Yes, especially with diabetes, long-term steroid use, high short sight or an old eye injury. Most people are troubled by cataract later, in their 50s or 60s.

How often should I get my eyes checked after 40?

With healthy eyes, every two to four years until about 54, every one to three years from 55 to 64, and every one to two years from 65. Diabetes, high BP or glaucoma in the family usually mean every year.

This page is general eye-health information, not personal medical advice. Your eye doctor advises you after examining your eyes.