Why (and How Often) Should I Get an Eye Exam?
There’s more to your eyes than you might think.
Our eyes serve as an indicator of our overall health and taking care of them from a young age is a must. Doctors stress the need for adults and children alike to get an eye examination at least every two years to detect signs of life-threatening health conditions, eye diseases, and for assessing vision strength.
Do I Really Need to Get an Eye Exam?
Studies show that most adults don’t take very good care of their eyes and actually risk missing the early signs of potentially-threatening diseases by not knowing how often they should get eye exams. About 45 percent of adults say that they have not received an eye exam in over two years.
Routine eye exams, according to the CDC, help detect early signs of brain cancer, along with diabetes, high cholesterol, and macular degeneration. You may feel in perfect health, but getting an eye exam is an important health check for everyone.
Vision in Youth & The Elderly
Regardless of age, getting regular eye exams is just as imperative to one’s health as dentist or family doctor visits. Children’s eye health, however, is something that should also be taken into consideration at an early age, as an estimated 80 percent of information presented in schools is visual. If your child is diagnosed with an eye problem, vision therapy with the help of a developmental optometrist could be beneficial for combating vision-related learning problems.
The many signs of visual processing problems correlate with other learning impairments like dyslexia and ADHD and can best be addressed with an early visit to a vision therapy specialist.
The macular degeneration issue sees a projected increase in treatment demand over the course of the next decade, and the number of blind and visually impaired individuals is expected to double by 2030.
Protecting Your Eyes
Taking preventive measures early on, such as wearing UVA/B-protectant sunglasses, getting an eye exam every two years, taking time away from the computer after long periods of focusing, and replacing contact lens cases can help to keep your eyes healthy and assist you in avoiding the development of health issues later.
When it comes to your health, your eye health plays a major role in your day-to-day functioning and should be treated with the same priority as any other part of your body. Get started on your oath to healthy vision with a complementary consultation from OCVT today.