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Having your vision checked is as important as have an annual health or dental check up, yet not enough people have a yearly vision examination. This can be a dangerous exam to skip because, as with many illnesses, early detection is the key to good eye health.

Some health issues that can be found during your eye exam include:

• Autoimmune disorders
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Hypertension
• Thyroid disease
• Tumors
• Cancer

Why are Adults Skipping the Exam?

Those that don’t have regular exams tend to think that they aren’t noticing any problems, therefore, there’s no reason to get examined. But many eye issues will not provide you with symptoms and will continue to progress until it may be too late.

According to WebMD, in a study of 11,503 adults aged 40 and up, and who were diagnosed with moderate to severe visual impairment, 39.8 percent didn’t seek vision care because they had no insurance and the cost was too great.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) adds that early treatment is important in preventing some of the more common eye diseases, like cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy from causing permanent vision loss or blindness. Many people are unaware how much an eye exam can prevent vision loss.

Vision Screening or Exam – What‘s the Difference?

A screening is usually performed somewhere other than with an eye doctor or eye center, like Weston Eye Center. Your primary physician might perform one, school nurses perform them on students and they can certainly be helpful, but in no way take the place of a thorough eye exam.

Eye exams entail the doctor checking your vision, depth perception, muscle imbalances, diseases of the eye and vision disorders, among other aspects. Your doctor will go over the results of your exam and guide you in the proper direction for proper vision care. This can include:

• Prescribing glasses or contacts
• Changing your current prescription
• Diagnosing your vision issues
• Other steps or exams you may need

When to Have an Eye Exam

Not nearly enough children of preschool age have had eye exams, but they should. You shouldn’t wait until you are experiencing vision problems before getting an eye exam. Ideally, vision should first be checked as a child of preschool age.

The Mayo Clinic suggests having a vision screening performed on children between the ages of three and five years of age. School-aged children should have their vision examined once before entering first grade, then re-checked every two years if no issues were found.

For adults, an exam should be performed every two years; and yearly if you wear corrective lenses, have a chronic disease or history of eye disease in your family. Those with healthy vision and no family history can add a few more years between exams, but shouldn’t exceed five years.

How to Protect Your Eyes and Vision

It’s important to take care of your vision and eye health, so knowing the health history of your family’s vision will get you started on the right path. Having this knowledge will help your doctor determine what risk level you are at for developing eye conditions or diseases.

You should also follow these suggested guidelines for maintaining healthy vision:

• Maintaining a healthy diet
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Don’t smoke
• Clean your hands properly
• Don’t rub your eyes

By maintaining a healthy diet your eyes will benefit from the vitamins and minerals received by the body, By maintaining a healthy weight, you are less likely to develop diabetes or other conditions that can cause you to lose your vision.

Also, you should always wear sunglasses when outside, as they will protect your eyes from the harmful ultraviolet rays the sun emits. Make sure your sunglasses are marked as providing UV protection. And you should always consider wearing goggles when swimming and playing sports, as well, to protect your eyes.

Prescription glasses not only help correct your vision issues, they protect your eyes as well. Be sure to follow your doctor’s recommendations when it comes to the appropriate eyewear for your vision issues. Also, check to make sure the prescription is working as it should when your glasses come in.

You should always wear protective eyewear in hazardous working situations. If you stare at a computer screen for several hours, take frequent breaks to give your eyes a rest. The best rule to reduce eyestrain is to look at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes.

If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your eye doctor or an eye care center like Weston Eye Center to schedule an appointment:

• Eye pain
• Double vision
• Blurry vision
• Floaters (small specks that seem to float)
• Redness or swelling
• Halos or small circles of light
• Light flashes
• Recent diagnosis of diabetes

How to Help

It is estimated that the amount of visually impaired and blind people in the United States will double by 2030. Take the time to get your eyes examined and encourage those you know to do so as well. Look into financial aid options for those who may need it.