If you see your doctor and dentist regularly, you might believe you have your healthcare under control and well monitored. But do you see an optometrist regularly?
Seeing an optometrist, or ophthalmologist, regularly helps keep your eye health in check and can also help to diagnose health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
During your eye exam, an optometrist will check your visual acuity (how clearly you can see), your eye alignment (where each eye is looking when you focus on one spot), and your eye movement (how your muscles move your eyes around).
So, When Did You Last Have An Eye Exam? Here Are Some Signs That You Might Need One:
1. You Simply Don’t Remember When You Last Had One
It is recommended for adults to have an eye test every year. Not knowing when your last one was is a good enough reason to book yourself in for an eye test.
It’s important to know that many eye diseases have no symptoms at first, so having regular eye tests can be the key to early diagnosis and treatment.
Some common eye diseases that this applies to are:
- Glaucoma: The name for a group of eye diseases characterised by increased intraocular pressure that can damage the optic nerve, potentially leading to vision loss or blindness.
- Cataracts: The clouding of the lenses in your eyes which can lead to vision loss.
- Age-related macular degeneration: The gradual loss of tissues in your eye that use light to see.
- Diabetic retinopathy: The damage to blood vessels in the back of your eyes which can lead to blindness.
2. Your Vision Is Getting Worse
Are you struggling to read text on a screen or in a book? Can’t quite make out that sign in the distance? You should book in at your local opticians. Even more so if it is affecting your day-to-day life.
Do you find yourself getting frequent headaches? This can be caused by eye strain from worsening vision and should also act as a sign to book in for an appointment soon.
You might also be experiencing a change in your eyes, this may include:
- Eye pain
- Flashes of light
- Floaters
- Double vision
- Circles or halos around lights
- Redness in one or both eyes
3. You Have Allergies
Some tell-tale signs to look out for in terms of eye allergies are:
- Redness
- Itchiness
- Burning
- Clear, watery discharge
Your eye allergies could be caused by:
- Outdoor allergens such as grass, pollen, and trees.
- Indoor allergens such as pet fur, dust, and mould.
- Irritants such as smoke or perfume.
Having an eye exam can give you confirmation as to your struggle being allergy-based, along with your optometrist being able to recommend what over-the-counter eye drops and medications you can use.
4. You Are ‘High Risk’ For Eye Diseases
Like many other aspects of your health, certain genetics factors and lifestyle choices can increase your risk of developing an eye disease. If this is you, you should definitely be getting your eyes checked at least once a year.
Here are some factors that make you high risk:
- Have a personal or family history or eye diseases.
- Have diabetes.
- Have a visually demanding job, e.g. using a computer or screens all day.
- Wearing contact lenses.
- Had a recent eye injury or eye surgery.
- Are getting older.
- Have high amounts of UV exposure.
- Have a chronic health condition such as high blood pressure or heart disease.
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Aside from getting your eyes checked regularly, we also recommend taking small steps and making lifestyle changes to maintain your eye health, these can include maintaining a healthy weight, wearing sunglasses with 100% UV ray protection, eating a healthy diet, and quitting smoking.
