You may think you have perfect vision if you can see clearly without glasses, contact lenses, or corrective surgery. While it’s true that clear vision means you don’t have a refractive error, it isn’t an indication of overall eye health. Our eyes are just like the rest of the body in that aging and lifestyle factors affect how they work over time.
That’s one reason routine eye exams are so important.
At Wide Eye Optometry in Encino, Santa Clarita, and Palmdale, California, Mary Demirjian, OD, and our team provide eye exams to patients four and older. Here’s why regular eye exams are necessary — even if you have perfect vision.
An eye exam might seem unnecessary if you don’t have vision problems, but that isn’t the case. Let’s explore four reasons optometry check-ups are essential.
Many chronic eye diseases, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration, develop slowly over the years. They rarely present obvious symptoms at first, so you might not realize anything is amiss.
Unfortunately, without early care, these diseases can permanently damage your eyes and rob you of your sight. Annual comprehensive eye exams can identify such conditions early, when they respond best to treatment. This reduces your risk of lasting complications, like low vision and vision loss.
William Shakespeare is often credited with saying “The eyes are the windows to the soul.” But your eyes can also provide important information about your overall health.
The blood vessels and nerves in the eyes are some of the first body parts to experience damage from systemic diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, and thyroid issues. This ability to act as a so-called “canary in the coal mine” can alert you to potentially serious medical problems.
An eye exam involves much more than testing the sharpness of your vision (or visual acuity). The optic nerve, retina, and lenses must be healthy for your eyes to work well. However, there’s no way to examine these areas on your own.
Our team has years of experience and knows how to identify potential eye problems. We can alert you to issues that might affect your vision in the future, and prevent them from worsening.
You might not know if you have a minor refractive error, like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. Unfortunately, these issues increase the risk of eye strain, and in turn, problems like dry eyes and chronic headaches. Refractive errors can also make it difficult to see at work and school, affecting your performance and productivity.
Incorporating eye exams into your preventive health routine can help you manage these problems and keep them from worsening, so you function at your best.
If it’s been over a year since your last eye exam, don’t wait to schedule your next check-up. Call or click online to make an appointment at your nearest Wide Eye Optometry office in Encino, Santa Clarita, or Palmdale, California, today.