Your eyes are a vital part of your body. Unfortunately, they are also susceptible to severe diseases that can only be detected through a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Many diseases, like glaucoma, do not present symptoms in their early stages.
Visiting your optometrist regularly can help you avoid blindness and other eye problems. Read on to learn why optometric services are essential for your eye health.
Detecting Eye Diseases
The eyes provide a unique window into the current state of your health. Many eye diseases can progress without any early symptoms, so unless you get comprehensive eye exams (not just vision screenings) regularly, it is easy to miss them.
For example, glaucoma is often painless and goes unnoticed until it has already caused irreversible vision loss. An optometrist can catch glaucoma early with tonometry and visual field tests.
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Regular eye exams can also detect signs of other systemic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. They can also help track the progression of conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Ultimately, early detection of eye disease can slow down vision loss and even prevent blindness. Having a good vision is essential for living your best life!
Preventing Vision Loss
To detect eye illnesses in their early stages, when treatment to prevent vision loss is most successful, an optometrist or ophthalmologist (eye doctor) must do a thorough dilated exam external symbol. These exams use eye drops to enlarge your pupils and allow the optometrist to check your visual acuity, depth perception, and how your eyes work together. They can also spot other health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes, sometimes before your primary care doctor does.
It shouldn’t be necessary for children to struggle in school with uncorrected refractive error, nor for seniors to spend their retirement years living with limited vision. By prioritizing eye care, we can prevent vision loss and keep people healthy.
Preventing Eye Injuries
Thousands of eye injuries occur each day, and 90% are considered preventable. Optometrists can help patients protect their eyes from harm by educating them on how to use proper safety equipment and encouraging them to wear protective eyewear while at work or home.
They can also feel for foreign objects in the eye, dilate the pupil, and use imaging studies to visualize the bones and tissues around the eye. These include X-rays, ultrasound, and CT scans.
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Optometrists are ideally positioned to improve underserved populations’ vision and ocular health. They are under-represented in community health centers (CHCs) and should consider pursuing rotations within these facilities as part of their residency programs. They can then help CHCs provide access to quality optometry services for their patient population.
Detecting Vision Problems in Children
Children with vision problems can’t tell you they have a problem, but the results of poor eye health can affect their quality of life. Fortunately, vision screenings conducted by pediatricians, general physicians, teachers and barangay health workers are an essential part of their preventive healthcare.
Vision screens typically use red reflex or autorefraction devices to check for problems that might require a complete evaluation by an optometrist. This type of vision screening can detect refractive errors, such as myopia (nearsightedness), astigmatism, and eye alignment issues like strabismus.
To help ensure that more kids are screened for vision problems, optometrists can work to establish eye care departments in community health centers. Residency programs should offer rotations in these settings so that residents can better understand how to open an optometry department at a CHC after graduation.
Detecting Eye Discomfort
Eyestrain or pain that comes and goes is usually a minor issue, but some symptoms are red flags that indicate a more severe problem. You may have dry eyes, ocular neuropathy, or even an infection. A trip to an optometrist’s office could treat and prevent these issues.
An increasing number of health insurance plans include coverage for regular eye exams. This trend will generate greater demand for optometric services. Also, baby boomers entering their golden years will have increased needs for vision screenings and care. The addition of optometrists to community health centers will increase the availability of care for these patients. In addition, they will gain experience working with a diverse patient population. This will help them prepare to work in a private practice.