Why Test Your Eyes at Home?
Your eyesight is one of the most important aspects of your overall health, but it’s also one that’s easy to overlook. With busy schedules and long waits for optician appointments, many people don’t realise their vision is slowly changing until everyday tasks become difficult. Home eye tests offer a simple way to keep an eye on your vision between check-ups. While they’re no replacement for professional examinations, these tests can help you spot early signs that it’s time to see an optician.
Testing your eyesight at home can be especially useful for adults who work long hours in front of screens, parents who want to monitor their children’s vision, or anyone experiencing sudden changes in how they see. It’s a good habit to build into your routine, particularly if you’ve had eye problems in the past or wear corrective lenses.
Checking for Changes in Visual Acuity
One of the simplest ways to test your vision at home is by checking how clearly you can see at different distances. A common method involves printing a basic eye chart and positioning it on a well-lit wall. You can stand a set distance away—usually around three to four metres—and cover one eye at a time to see how far down the chart you can read. If one eye performs significantly worse than the other, or you find it difficult to read beyond the top few rows, it may be time to book an eye appointment.
There are also online tools that mimic this process, although they should be used with caution. Your screen’s brightness, resolution, and positioning can affect the results. For this reason, printed charts tend to be more reliable than app-based tests, unless they’ve been developed by qualified optometrists.
Testing for Colour Blindness
If you’ve never had a colour vision test, or you suspect a recent change in how you perceive colours, a basic test at home can give you some insight. The Ishihara colour test is a well-known method that uses plates with numbers or patterns made up of coloured dots. People with normal colour vision will see one image, while those with colour deficiencies may see something different or nothing at all.
These test plates can be found online or in print and are best viewed in natural daylight. If you or someone in your family consistently struggles to see the numbers or shapes, it could point to red-green colour blindness, which is the most common type. While there’s no cure, understanding your colour perception can be helpful in education, driving, or career planning.
Spotting Signs of Eye Strain or Dryness
Modern lifestyles involve a lot of screen time, whether for work, study, or entertainment. If you’ve noticed headaches, blurry vision after computer use, or a gritty feeling in your eyes, you could be experiencing eye strain or dryness. To check for this at home, pay attention to how your eyes feel after different activities. If reading, typing, or scrolling through your phone makes your eyes feel tired or sore, your current glasses may no longer be suitable, or you may benefit from adjusting your lighting and screen settings.
You can also do a simple blink test. Stare at a blank wall or out of a window for one minute, and see how often you blink. If you blink fewer than five or six times in that minute, especially when focusing, your eyes may not be staying hydrated. Artificial tears, proper hydration, and screen breaks can all help, but ongoing dryness should be assessed professionally.
Monitoring Peripheral Vision
Peripheral vision is often taken for granted, but problems in this area can indicate serious eye conditions such as glaucoma. You can perform a basic check by sitting still and focusing on a single point in front of you—like a mark on the wall. Without moving your head or eyes, slowly move your hand from behind your head toward your field of vision on one side. Note when your hand becomes visible. Do the same for the other eye, each time covering one eye with your hand.
If you find that your field of vision seems narrower in one eye than the other, or if you notice any blind spots, it’s important to raise this with your optometrist. While it may not always signal a major issue, loss of peripheral vision should never be ignored.
Checking Eye Alignment and Focus
Sometimes, changes in how the eyes work together can be subtle but lead to discomfort or double vision. You can assess eye coordination at home by focusing on a small object, such as a pen or your finger, and slowly bringing it toward your nose. Both eyes should follow the object equally and stay focused without one drifting. If one eye turns outward or inward while focusing, this may suggest a muscle imbalance.
This kind of issue is more common in children but can affect adults too, especially after long periods of stress, illness, or fatigue. If you suspect a problem, an optician can perform a more thorough check and offer corrective options if needed.
Children’s Vision at Home
Children don’t always know how to describe what they see, so home checks can help parents spot early warning signs. Watch how your child reacts when reading, watching TV, or drawing. If they frequently squint, tilt their head, rub their eyes, or complain about headaches, these may be signs of a vision issue.
You can also use printed charts designed for children, which use shapes or letters they recognise. Encourage your child to read them aloud while covering each eye in turn. Make it a fun and regular part of their routine, especially before school starts or after growth spurts, as children’s eyes can change quickly.
Knowing When It’s Time for a Professional Exam
Although home eye checks can be helpful, they are never a substitute for a full examination by an optometrist. If your home tests raise any concerns, it’s best to book an appointment as soon as possible. Professional eye tests can detect not only vision changes, but also signs of diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health conditions that may not show symptoms elsewhere in the body.
In the UK, many people are eligible for free eye tests through the NHS—particularly children, people over 60, and those on certain benefits. Regular eye checks, typically every two years, are recommended for most adults, but your optician may advise more frequent visits if you have specific needs.
