Importance of Regular Comprehensive Eye Exams

When was the last time you had a comprehensive eye exam? Contrary to popular belief, your eye doctor isn’t only there for when you are experiencing a problem with your eyes. In fact, regular eye exams are an essential part of your preventative care and without them, your eye health could deteriorate rapidly.

Here are four of the top reasons why regular comprehensive eye exams are important.

1 - Your Exam Can Detect if You Need a Prescription to See Clearer

A visual acuity test is one of the most well-known elements of an eye exam. During this test, you will be asked to read numbers, letters, or a combination of both, from a chart a short distance away. How well you can read it will play part in determining if you have a refractive eye error such as near or farsightedness and if you could benefit from wearing prescription lenses to correct your vision. It’s important to note that if you want to wear contact lenses you’ll need a further contact lens exam since the prescription for contacts is very different than that for glasses.   

2 – Your Eye Doctor will Look at the Overall Health of Your Eyes

Eye health isn’t just about how clearly you can see, although certain eye conditions and diseases will affect the quality of your vision. An important part of a comprehensive eye exam involves your eye doctor using special equipment to assess the health of your eyes. This involves looking at the anterior as well as the exterior of the eye, and in particular, the optic nerve which connects the brain and eyes and is the main pathway of information between the two. By performing these assessments, your eye doctor can identify and diagnose any developing problems such as glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. Many of these eye diseases can have permanent consequences for your vision if they are left untreated.

3 – Comprehensive Eye Exams can Detect General Health Problems too

Many people are surprised to discover that the health and condition of your eyes can also reveal information about your general health and wellbeing. This is because certain diseases and conditions can cause changes to structures within the eyes. A good example of this is high blood pressure, which can cause damage to the blood vessels of the optic nerves. Diabetes, high cholesterol, and sickle cell disease are just some of the other conditions that can be detected during a routine comprehensive eye exam.

4 – They are the Best Way to Preserve Your Long-Term Vision

We rely on our vision much more than any of us realize, and it is not until it becomes compromised that we start to appreciate just how important clear vision is. Whether it is reading, watching television, driving, playing a sport, working, or more, clear vision plays an essential role in our quality of life. We also need it to keep us safe, such as by being able to read road signs clearly, taking the right dose of medication, or using a knife to cut things carefully. Experts agree that regular comprehensive eye exams are the best way to keep our eyes healthy and preserve our long-term vision.

Ready to schedule your comprehensive eye exam? Please contact our friendly and experienced team at Eye Care Associates in San Bernardino at our office in San Bernardino, California by calling (909) 316-2100 today.