We all know the importance of going to the doctor and visiting our dentist every few months. These are vital to our health as well as prevention and early diagnosis of oncoming diseases.
However, people tend to overlook the importance of going to the eye doctor as well! Eye exams at every life stage helps keep our vision in top shape and diagnose any conditions. When we see optometry marketing, we often think it’s only for people who have astigmatism or wear glasses and such. But an average person also needs to take care of their eye health.
Keeping tabs on our eyesight is important. About 11 million Americans over the age of 12 need vision correction, so getting regular eye examinations is key and will surely uplift your quality of life if it turns out that you do need vision correction. Eye examinations can also detect eye diseases early and preserve your vision.
Eye Diseases
Unfortunately, eye diseases are common and can go unnoticed. Generally people have no way of knowing that their vision has deteriorated and even if they do, they just go through life as they normally would. Some eye diseases even have no initial symptoms so we are not even aware that it is there.
Therefore, comprehensive and regular dilated eye exams are necessary to detect and correct these problems. Ophthalmologists and optometrists are trained to help with any eye conditions, preserve eye health, and treat diseases as needed.
Eye Examinations
So what happens during a comprehensive dilated eye exam? Patients are tested for their visual acuity or sharpness, depth perception, eye alignment, and eye movement.
These aspects are all vital to our daily activities of reading, writing, cooking, exercising, and driving. Depth perception is especially important for active persons who often drive or do sports.
Eye doctors can use eye drops to enlarge your pupils so they can examine it better, checking for warning signs of health problems. They can spot conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, too.
Common Eye Diseases
Early treatment is critical to prevent the common eye diseases from causing permanent vision loss. Here are the common eye diseases people usually get:
- Glaucoma which can damage the optic nerve
- Diabetic Retinopathy damages blood vessels in the back of the eye, causing blindness; this is a common complication of diabetes wherein the high blood sugar damages blood vessels in the retina
- Cataracts or the clouding of the lens often happens in adults aged 60 and up; untreated cataracts lead to vision loss
- Macular Degeneration is the gradual breakdown of light-sensitive eye tissues, due to age
To prevent these eye diseases, here are some easy tips anyone can follow.
#1. Get regular eye examinations.
#2. Eat a nutritious and healthy diet, including leafy greens.
#3. Know your family’s medical history.
#4. Have a healthy lifestyle with adequate sleep and little to no smoking.
#5. Go easy on the eyes, whether it’s exposure to sunlight or technology.
So try to follow the easy tips and see a trusted eye doctor regularly. Nobody wants to live with eye problems – or worse, experience any form of vision loss! Prevention is key to preserving your eyesight and eye health.
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