Even if you think you have 20/20 vision and believe nothing is wrong with your eyes, you should still schedule routine eye exams. Age usually determines the frequency of eye exams you should schedule. It is safe to think that the younger you are, the less frequently you need to have an eye exam. If you wear glasses or contacts, however, you will need to have eye exams more often, usually every year. Here are Medical Arts Eye Clinic’s five reasons you should schedule routine eye exams.
Eye health
Your eye health is just as important as the rest of your body’s health. There are several common and uncommon diseases that a routine eye exam checks for. A common disease that eye exams can screen for is glaucoma. Glaucoma is slow-acting, so it is especially important to catch it early and begin treatment. Other diseases eye exams will look for include cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Early prevention is key for all eye health concerns.
Vision correction
You may think you see just fine. Maybe you squint a little but overall, you can see pretty well. However, it is important to be examined by a professional in order to make sure your vision is optimal for driving and other tasks that may be potentially dangerous if you don’t have good vision.
If you feel that you are starting to see road signs, menus or other important things you come across daily as blurry, it is important to go ahead and schedule an appointment for vision correction.
Keep prescriptions up to date
Don’t let your glasses or contacts prescription go out of date. It is unpleasant and not safe while driving if your prescription is less effective than it used to be.
Your vision changes as you get older and it is important to schedule routine exams to check on it and maintain everything as best as possible.
Protect your children’s vision and eye health
Schools issue basic eye exams, however, children should have a more comprehensive eye exam before they begin school. It can be detrimental to their learning if they cannot see the board that their teacher is writing on.
"The child doesn't realize there's a problem because it's the way the world has always looked, and it's just not something parents first think of when the child is struggling in school," Damian Carroll, Vision to Learn’s, National Director said.
As parents, it is important to schedule eye exams, especially if you have feedback that your child is struggling in school.
It is also important to schedule regular eye exams for your children to check their general eye health and development. Lazy eye, color blindness and astigmatism are all important to check for.
Eye exams can detect other health problems
Eye exams are even more valuable because they can detect health problems unrelated to eye health problems.
Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are all commonly first diagnosed through routine eye exams. The blood vessels in your retina are checked during eye exams and they are a good indicator of the health of blood vessels throughout your body. Diabetes is just one of the conditions that can be found via blood vessels.
If you are already diagnosed with diabetes or might be at risk for diabetes, it is especially important to have routine eye exams. Diabetic eye disease, the most common cause of blindness among adults, does not have any visible symptoms in its early stages. A comprehensive eye exam is the only way to detect signs of the disease so that treatment can begin to prevent vision loss.
Medical Arts Eye Clinic is dedicated to providing you with the best ophthalmology care in the Auburn-Opelika area. Contact us today at (334) 821-3838 to schedule your next eye exam!