Do you think the value of an annual eye exam is only updating your vision prescription? No, it’s not! It goes far beyond that. Let’s have a look at some of the top reasons why you and your family should visit one of the best optometrists at least once a year.
1. Vision correction
Obtaining or updating prescriptions is one of the most common reasons to get an eye exam. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, you need to have your prescriptions verified regularly. Eyes change, and a prescription that’s a few years old can be doing you as much harm as good.
Wearing contacts comes with many risks, and an annual eye exam is necessary to make sure that not only is your prescription correct, but that your eyes are healthy.
Eye exams for vision correction are still important even if you don’t already wear glasses or contact lenses.
For children, a regular vision check is absolutely critical to make sure they are able to keep up in school–it’s hard to succeed in class when you can’t see the front of the room clearly! It’s also hard to keep up with homework if focusing or eye teaming isn’t working properly for reading and screen time.
2. Eye diseases
A simple vision test may be able to determine if your eyes are able to see correctly at a particular distance, but only a comprehensive eye exam with an optometrist will actually evaluate the health and wellness of your eyes. Whether or not you have a family history of eye diseases, getting regular checkups is important.
Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes peripheral vision loss first then central. It has no symptoms until vision loss has occurred. It cannot be detected without an eye exam.
Macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, cataracts, dry eye syndrome all can cause vision loss, and an eye exam is necessary to diagnose, monitor and treat these conditions.
The sooner any potential condition is discovered, the more effective the treatment can be. Have your eyes (and those of your children) checked more often if you have a family history of any eye diseases or other chronic disease (such as diabetes) that can put you at a greater risk of eye disease.
3. Overall health
There are countless threats to your eyes out there, including (but not limited to) digital eye strain, sun damage, allergies, and physical injuries. It’s important to have the state of your eyes evaluated regularly to make sure that you minimize harm and learn how to address recurring problems.
An eye exam can also discover other serious health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, brain tumors, or even cancer. An eye exam doesn’t replace an annual physical exam with your doctor, but rather adds to the information obtained by your primary care doctor. A regular visit to the optometrist will ensure that you address any serious problems early, eliminate future threats, and treat your eyes as well as they deserve.
Life can be busy, but you can never be too busy to take care of your eyes. Call us today to book an appointment. 218-254-4393.
