Student Eye Exams

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Helping Students Excel

Located in downtown Toronto, our clinic strives to be the destination for eye care for students from the University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, and other post-secondary institutions around the Toronto area.

When a student begins their academic journey, the volume of reading and near work can increase, which can cause a shift in their prescription. The rise of digital screen usage has also been well-documented and can affect everything students do in school and beyond.

We recommend annual eye exams for students to test for myopia progression, offer relief from dry eyes, and monitor digital eye strain discomfort. Many of our student patients are covered for regular eye exams through their student insurance plans—they just need to bring their student ID.

We aim to help students excel in all facets of their life—contact us to schedule your next eye exam today.

Do I Have to Pay for a Student Eye Exam?

As a student, you may not have to pay out of pocket for your next eye exam. 

If you’re a student at the University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, or other Ontario post-secondary institutions, your school fees may include health care benefits.

For many of our student patients with coverage provided by their tuition fees, all you’ll need to bring is your student ID card, and we can bill your health insurance directly.

Does Studying Make Your Vision Worse?

Being a college student affects every facet of your life—your eyes are no exception. The volume of reading and near-work that students undertake throughout the semester can take a toll on their vision. 

We regularly see our student patients undergo a shift in their prescriptions when they start a new program. A new prescription doesn’t just mean a new set of contact lenses or new prescription glasses. For people who are nearsighted, every increase in their prescription can signify an elevated risk of myopia-related eye conditions, including glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal tears.

Studying Tips for Eye Health

We’re here to help. 

With an annual eye exam, we can stay on top of changes to your prescription, optimize the clarity of your vision with contacts, and give you studying tips to help your eyes work as hard as you do.

When you’re preparing for midterms or sitting down for a long session of researching your next term paper, do your best to take a break every 20 minutes.

The 20-20-20 rule means:

  • Looking away from your screen every 20 minutes
  • Focusing on something 20 feet away
  • Looking at the object of focus for at least 20 seconds

Instead of watching a movie or a show on your tablet at close range, putting it on your TV at a healthy distance can lead to less strain on your eyes. Adjusting your monitor so that it’s greater than arm’s length away and 20 degrees below eye level when studying can also help preserve your eye health.

After a long day of reading and writing, your eyes may need a bit of a pick-me-up. Preservative-free eye drops can help you manage dry eye symptoms and provide relief after a long day of studying.

Learn more about how we can help manage the root cause of your dry eyes.

If you haven’t had an eye exam within the past year or so, your prescription may have changed, and that can negatively impact the comfort and clarity of your vision.

Regular eye exams can help our team stay updated on any changes to your vision and help ensure your eyes stay healthy.

Myopia Control for University Students

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a vision condition that makes far-away objects appear blurry. We want to help control the progression of myopia through innovative solutions such as myopia control lenses. 

Eye doctors around the world have been diagnosing myopia at younger ages in recent years. It has been theorized that this is at least partly related to children getting more screen time from a younger age than in the past—especially with tablets and smartphones. This time spent indoors using screens can raise the risk of developing myopia at a younger age, which means there are more years for an individual’s myopia to worsen.Myopia control is a tool we can use to slow the progression of myopia in nearsighted university students.

Myopia control isn’t just about your prescription—it’s also about the vision-threatening risks related to high myopia. Learn more by visiting our myopia control page.

Will Wearing Weaker Glasses Make My Eyes Stronger?

There’s a common misconception that wearing a lower contact or glasses prescription will help strengthen vision. 

The truth is when you’re myopic (nearsighted), and your prescription is not strong enough to correct your vision, that blurred vision is a signal to your eyes that they need to grow longer to try to compensate. As your eye grows longer, your myopia worsens.

In short, wearing the wrong glasses prescription will not improve your vision and may make your vision worse.

Will My Vision Get Better If I Don’t Wear My Glasses?

Another common myth is that if you wear your glasses or contacts all the time, your eyes will get worse. Some patients avoid wearing their glasses, hoping it will give their eyes an opportunity to get better.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. But we can help you see more clearly with an updated prescription and, if necessary, myopia control to help slow the progression of your myopia.

Comprehensive Eye Exams for Students

Students put their eyes through a lot throughout the school year and don’t always realize their eye exams are covered. We want to help ensure your eyes stay healthy long-term so you can excel both inside and outside the classroom. 

Contact us to schedule your next eye exam today and maximize your vision.

Our Location

Visit Us

Located directly on the northwest corner of Yonge & College in downtown Toronto, a short walk from the College St. TTC station.

  • 6 College Street
  • Toronto, ON M5G 1K3

Hours of Operation

  • Monday: 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
  • Thursday: 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
  • Friday: 9:00 AM 5:00 PM
  • Saturday: Closed
  • Sunday: Closed

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