Everyone Needs to Get Eye Exams
Even though you may not wear prescription glasses, you still need to visit your eye doctor for regular preventative eye examinations. The eyes are perhaps our most valuable organ for connecting with the outside world and they need to be cared for regularly. Eye exams ensure that they are operating properly and if not, you gain the opportunity to correct any issues before they become severe problems. Also, the eyes and their blood vessels are very sensitive and can often provide a warning of serious health issues that get revealed in an eye exam.
Yes! Preventive eye exams do a lot more than correct your vision; comprehensive eye exams allow the eye doctor to look directly at your blood vessels, thereby revealing potential warning signs of serious health problems such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes before the symptoms show up anywhere else in the body. Visit the Importance of Eye Exams section to learn more about the benefits of eye exams to your whole body.
How frequently should I have eye exams?
The eye exam is the first and most important opportunity to spot any eye problems early. So, to keep your eyes in tip top shape, you should as a general rule, get an eye exam annually. During your eye exam if your doctors notices any problem, he may recommend that you get eye check-ups more frequently. Your doctor might also recommend that you get an eye exam less frequently depending on your age and the condition of your eyes when you are examined, but that advice should come from a professional. Most eye conditions develop gradually, so often a doctor might recommend low-risk eye problem candidates between the ages of 18 and 60 get eye exams every two to three years. Anyone who is high risk and fits into these ages groups or is older, will most certainly be recommended to get more frequent eye exams.
When should children first see an eye doctor?
Eye exams should be at the earliest ages. An infant’s first eye exam should be before six months of age. If everything is found to be fine during the exam, the doctor will likely schedule a next appoint for the child’s third birthday. At that eye exam, if the child’s eyes are showing no signs of problems, the doctor will likely put the child on a two year eye exam schedule. It is very important for school-aged children to have their eyes examined because the largest part of learning for young kids comes through the eyes and undiagnosed eye problems will often lead to learning and developmental delays in children. Statistics show that as many as twenty-five percent of young kids have some type of eye problems with most issues requiring prescription glasses. So it is important to get children in front of an eye doctor to detect, treat and correct and eye issues.
What types of eye doctors do exams?
There are two types of eye doctors that do eye exams: Optometrists and ophthalmologists. Optometrists issue eye exams and also diagnose, treat and manage diseases and disorders of the eye as well as prescribe eyeglasses, contact lenses and other medication and eyewear to treat eye diseases. Ophthalmologists also conduct eye exams and specialize in eye surgery and may also diagnose and write prescriptions for eye diseases and disorders. So you can go schedule an eye exam appointment with either type of doctor.
So if you are a BC resident and overdue for an eye exam, make an appointment with a reputable and licensed eye doctor in Vancouver. Get your eyes checked now to detect and potentially avoid any future vision problems.
