Eye Exams

Periodic eye examinations by either an optometrist (O.D.) or ophthalmologist (M.D.) are important to maintain the health of your eyes and your entire body. Adults need to have their eyes checked to keep their prescription current and to check for any eye diseases, such as glaucoma or cataracts. A thorough eye exam will also check your general health, most notably hypertension (high blood pressure) or diabetes. Children need regular eye exams to make sure that their vision is normal and to optimize their academic achievement; after all, you cannot be an outstanding student if you cannot read what’s on the blackboard or whiteboard.

What is the Optometrist Checking For?

• Amblyopia – occurs when one or both eyes is turned or has a much different prescription than the other. The brain will actually reject the image from the turned or blurry eye. Left untreated, amblyopia can stunt the vision of the affected eye, resulting is permanent vision impairment. This affliction is often treated by putting a patch on the stronger eye which ‘forces’ the other eye to get stronger.
• Diseases of the eye – diseases such as glaucoma have no early symptoms so detection by an eye care professional is imperative to catch these diseases early, thus limiting their detrimental effects on your permanent vision.
• Eye teaming problems – even if it seems that your eyes are properly aligned, it is possible they are not working efficiently working together. This syndrome, called binocular vision, can cause headaches, eyestrain and other problems that affect reading and other close vision jobs.
• Focusing difficulties – focusing problems range from incompletely developed focusing skills in children to age-related declines in focusing ability, known as presbyopia, among older adults.
• Overall health issues – your optometrist or ophthalmologist will be able to note certain diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol by examining your eyes’ blood vessels and retinas.
• Strabismus – known as crossed or turned eyes; if untreated, strabismus causes problems with depth perception and may lead to amblyopia.

Other Reasons to See Your Eye Care Professional

If you are considering LASIK eye surgery or any other form of laser refractive eye surgery, you will need a thorough eye exam before deciding on which type of surgery is right for you or even if you are a good candidate for this procedure. Your eye care practitioner will help you make an informed decision.

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