The Benefits of Yearly Eye Exam
When was the last time you got an eye exam? Getting a yearly checkup is an important part of maintaining your vision and your health.
An eye exam can help uncover eye problems you never knew were there. Instead of unknowingly waiting for eye damage and vision complications to occur, get yourself an eye exam.
An annual eye exam acts as a preventative measure, ensuring that you monitor your eyes and vision for the early signs of disease, preventing future vision loss.
Using an eye exam as a preventative measure is important for monitoring and maintaining the overall health of your eyes. As we age, our vision changes in subtle ways and starts to weaken.
The risk of developing eye disorders or diseases like glaucoma, blinding diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration increases as we age, and adults need more frequent monitoring than kids.
Children also require annual eye exams to check up on their ocular health. Most schools offer vision tests, but they are nowhere near as comprehensive as an eye exam. A basic vision screening may miss some problems in the child’s vision.
The eyes are also known as “the window to the soul.” Staring into the whites of the eyes and the iris reveals surprising health revelations in the person.
Eye exams can detect leaking blood vessels in the eyes, one of the symptoms of the onset of diabetes in the affected individual. Tears and kinks in the blood vessels in the eyes may also indicate hypertension in the patient.
The eyes can also reveal issues with autoimmune disorders due to the inflammation of the retina. Doctors can also check your eyes for signs of liver distress, high cholesterol, and thyroid disease. An eye infection, known as “cysticercoids,” may indicate tapeworm infestation in the affected individual.
Make an appointment with your ophthalmologist for your annual checkup and keep your vision in good health.