Healthy Vision

Importance of Regular Eye Exams – Courtesy of :

There are important benefits to regular eye care, because some eye diseases may not exhibit symptoms until vision is already lost!  Eye problems and even early stages of many systemic diseases can be detected during a comprehensive eye exam.  Early detection is the key to preventing irreversible vision loss.

Reasons you should schedule an eye exam despite adequate eye sight:

• During the exam, visual acuity (sharpness), depth perception, eye alignment, and eye movement are tested. Eye drops are used to make your pupils larger so your eye doctor can see inside your eyes and check for signs of health problems. Your eye doctor may even spot other conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, sometimes before your primary care doctor does.

Eye Diseases:

1. Cataracts (clouding of the lens), the leading cause of vision loss in the United States
2. Diabetic retinopathy (causes damage to blood vessels in the back of the eye), the leading cause of blindness in American adults
3. Glaucoma (a group of diseases that damages the optic nerve)
4. Age-related macular degeneration (gradual breakdown of light-sensitive tissue in the eye)

Eye Exams: How Often?

• People with diabetes should have a dilated eye exam every year.
• Some people are at higher risk for glaucoma and should have a dilated eye exam every 2 years:
  • African Americans 40 years and older
  • All adults older than 60, especially Mexican Americans
  • People with a family history of glaucoma

5 Ways to Protect Your Vision:

1. Get regular eye exams.
2. Eat a healthy diet, including leafy greens such as spinach or kale, and maintain a healthy weight.
3. Know your family’s eye health history.
4. Wear sunglasses that block out 99% to 100% of UV-A and UV-B radiation (the sun’s rays).
5. Quit smoking or don’t start.