The Best Time Of Day To Get An Eye Exam

If you have ever looked at a screen for a long time, you know that your eyes can get more tired as the day goes on. But could eye fatigue impact the results of your eye exam? Is there a time of day that’s best to test your eyes?

You want to get your eye exam done right, after all. It is important for catching conditions before they progress and for getting the most up-to-date prescriptions for your vision.

HuffPost asked eye specialists to weigh in if there’s an ideal time of day to do an eye exam. Here’s what they shared:

Morning may be the best time of day if you have a choice.

For the average person, the time of day you do your eye exam is “not terribly significant,” said Dr. Benjamin Bert, an ophthalmologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

But he said that if you do feel like your eyes get more tired and drier as the day goes by, doing your exam earlier in the day can lead to more accurate results.

“We know that our eyes get drier as the day progresses. And if the eyes are significantly dry, it can affect the measurements that are taken when trying to get a new prescription for glasses or contact lenses,” Bert said.

“So if you’re someone who tends to feel like their eyes are getting fatigued or getting really tired toward the end of the day, it may be a sign that you have dryness developing,” he continued. “If you’re one of those people who has those tendencies, it would probably be better to do it earlier in the day when you haven’t had quite as much time focusing on reading or on screens.”

Morning may be especially good if you’re worried about glaucoma. When eye specialists check the health of your eyes, one of the factors they are going to check is your eye