The Importance of Routine Comprehensive Eye Exams
When most people think of an eye exam, they picture reading letters off a chart to determine if they need glasses. Modern, comprehensive eye exams go far beyond checking your vision. A routine eye exam is a thorough evaluation of the entire visual system. Optometrists use advanced instruments and techniques to examine the structures inside your eyes. These include the retina, optic nerve and blood vessels. This allows them to detect conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts. The optometrist can identify these conditions long before you notice any signs or symptoms.
Many eye diseases develop slowly and painlessly. There is often no noticeable impact on a person’s vision until after damage has occurred. For example, glaucoma is known as the “Silent Thief of Sight” as it can progress unnoticed until permanent vision loss has happened which is irreversible. Regular comprehensive eye exam can detect changes in eye pressure and in the nerve fibre layers of the optic nerve to allow for timely intervention and treatment.
In addition to protecting your vision, eye exams can also reveal signs of other health issues. The eyes are the only place in the body where blood vessels can be seen directly without surgery. Changes in these vessels can be an early indication of high blood pressure, diabetes or increased risk factors for a stroke. In some cases, an eye exam is the first clue that something more serious is happening elsewhere in the body.
It is recommended that you don’t wait until your vision is blurry or strained to have an eye exam as having an eye exam is more than a new prescription for glasses. A comprehensive eye exam is an essential tool for protecting your eye health and even identifying early signs of other health issues. Scheduling an eye exam every 1-2 years as recommended by your eye care provider is one of the simplest and effective steps you can take to protect your vision for the future.
