Importance of Routine Eye Exams

You should not underestimate the importance of routine eye exams. They go beyond ensuring your vision is good. As any eye doctor will tell you, your eyes are the windows to your health/body. This means that the health of your eyes can reflect your overall health and well-being.

 

Unfortunately, many people tend to overlook scheduling comprehensive eye exams. They assume that a basic visual screening is all they need. However, seeing a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist for a comprehensive examination is critical to your overall health. Do not wait until you experience a vision problem to see a specialist.

 

Difference Between Routine Eye Exams and Medical Eye Exams

A routine eye exam is a visit to an eye doctor for the purpose of screening for eye disease, checking vision, or updating eyewear prescriptions. Such an examination provides a final diagnosis such as astigmatism, farsightedness, or nearsightedness. It is different from a medical eye exam, which produces a diagnosis such as dry eye, cataracts, conjunctivitis, or glaucoma.

 

Eye exams at every life stage and age can help people keep their vision strong. More than 10 million Americans over 12 years of age need vision correction. You may think your eyesight is fine. When you wear your first pair of contacts or glasses, however, you will see the world more clearly. Comprehensive eye exams are an important part of preserving your vision and finding eye diseases.

 

Some of the reasons why routine eye exams are important include:

 

Detection of Wider Health Issues

An examination of your eyes can give your eye doctor valuable information about your health. This is a fact that many people are not aware of. One of the many elements of a comprehensive eye exam involves checking the optic nerve, which sends messages from the retina to the brain.

 

Several health conditions can affect or change the appearance of your optic nerve. Spotting any abnormalities in the color, size, and shape of the structure of your optic nerve could help your eye doctor identify certain health conditions. These include sickle cell disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

 

They Are Preventative

You may think that you do not need to visit an eye doctor for a routine eye exam. Such exams, however, are just as important as an annual physical. Even if the eye doctor does not find any problem at that time, he/she will record the results and use them for ongoing monitoring of the condition and health of your eyes.

 

The doctor will compare future results with previous ones to check for any developing patterns that may indicate that you are at risk of getting an eye disease. This will allow for prompt treatment before the problem worsens.

 

They Help to Detect Eye Diseases

Comprehensive eye exams are very effective when it comes to detecting eye diseases. The earlier you get a diagnosis and treatment, the better your chances of getting a good outcome. Prompt treatment can prevent complications and permanent vision loss. Some of the eye diseases that an eye doctor can detect during a routine eye exam include:

 

• Glaucoma
   

• Cataracts
   

• Diabetic retinopathy
   

• Macular degeneration
   

• Conjunctivitis
   

• Eye floaters
   

• Retinal detachment
   

• Uveitis
  
   

They Can Help Kids Succeed in School

Kids require good vision to perform well inside and outside the classroom. Routine eye exams are very important for kids, especially when you consider the amount of time they spend sitting in front of a screen these days. Routine exams are the most effective way to ensure kids can see comfortably and clearly.

 

To learn more about the importance of routine eye exams, contact Seymour Eye Clinic Seymour, IN at (812) 523-6100 today to schedule an appointment.