5 Reasons You Should Get An Eye Exam

5 Reasons You Should Get An Eye Exam | VAL-Uvision Jacksonville, FL

When it comes to taking care of your health, it is of the utmost importance that you not overlook the importance of eye care. Detecting problems before they grow into major health concerns is the goal of comprehensive eye exams.

Your vision is vital to your overall health and through proper checkups and eye exams, you can easily ensure that your vision will be healthy as it can be.

Here are 5 reasons why you should get an eye exam scheduled pronto.

Who Should Get Eye Exams & Why Their Important

Everyone benefits from eye exams! Eye exams can be used for determining chronic disease such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The worst mistake is to wait until adulthood to schedule an eye exam. The earlier you can schedule your eye exam the easier it becomes to check for early signs of eye diseases.

You should get an annual eye exam if you fall into one of the following categories:

• Babies. Babies should start getting eye exams when they are around one year old, or sooner than that if they display signs of poor eye health. This helps eye doctors catch eye problems early. Some problems identified in babies can even be reversed.
• Children. When children reach school age, they should get an eye exam annually because poor vision and eye diseases can prevent children from performing well at school.
• Adults. Eye problems can develop suddenly, even in adulthood. When this happens, this can affect an adult’s ability to drive and do well at their job.
• Seniors. Seniors are at higher risk for eye problems than younger adults. Getting an eye exam annually can help the eye doctor identify eye diseases in their early treatable stages.

5 Reasons to Get An Eye Exam

1. Check For Common Eye Conditions & Eye Disease.

There are a variety of eye diseases that can affect patients at any time, including glaucoma and cataracts.

Many people who experience these conditions don’t realize that they have a vision problem. These conditions can have a significant negative impact on the quality of life of the affected patient.

By checking for these problems on a regular basis, your eye doctor can catch conditions early, and may be able to stop the condition from progressing.

• Diabetic retinopathy. This condition affects people who have been diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. While the early symptoms are so mild that they may be difficult to notice, it can eventually cause blindness if not treated early enough. To prevent this problem from advancing, people who have been diagnosed with diabetes should never skip eye appointments.

 2. Check For Vision Problems such as Nearsightedness and Farsightedness.

The primary reason for receiving an exam is to check for eye problems responsible for vision loss.

All the same, these conditions can make everyday life difficult, leading to accidents and injuries. Conditions eye doctors usually check for include:

• refractive error: Includes conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. These are minor eye problems which can easily be corrected with glasses, contacts or eye refractive surgery
• amblyopia: One eye is turned, or the prescription is stronger in one eye. Long-term signs will lead to vision impairment in the affected eye.
• strabismus: Known as “crossed eyes”. Long-term affects slowly turn into signs of amblyopia if not treated before the condition gets worse.
• focusing problems: Binocular vision problems cause headaches, reading issues including eye straining and clarity.

 3. Preventative Care Goes A Long Way

It is highly recommended that adults receive an eye exam at least once a year. For most grown adults, after reaching 40 years of age, it is often recommended to receive an eye exam at least every 18-24 months regularly.

With age comes an increased concern for frequent checkups to maintain the health of the eyes. Most adults are at risk for eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration due to old age.

If you have, or are at risk for diabetes, it is highly recommended you receive exams more regularly for risk of diabetic retinopathy.

Contact lens users are also encouraged to receive annual eye exams to check for changes in prescription and to ensure there are no issues for the person with extensive contact wearing.

4. Eye Exams Can Help Your Child’s Academic Performance & Classroom Learning

Eye exams are important for children in their earlier stages of life. They play a crucial role in academic performance and the eyes’ health & vision. Vision in younger children is closely related to learning in the classroom.  The better the vision, the easier it will be for your child to concentrate in school.

Vision problems lead to problems with completing schoolwork. Remember that, simply because your child isn’t complaining about vision problems, doesn’t mean they don’t have them. They simply may not have noticed that, compared to other children, they don’t see quite as well.

They may not be able to see the board that their teachers are writing on, they may have trouble reading or they may develop eyestrain when working on computers, and all of these problems can emanate from poor vision.

If you suspect your child is having trouble in school due to vision problems, set up an appointment with an eye doctor who specializes with children’s vision.

5. Freshen Up Your Look With A New Pair of Glasses or Contacts

If you’ve been wearing glasses for many years, you may want to take the opportunity to use your  eye exam as a way to get an entirely new look.

For example, there are so many different types of contact lens options available today that just about everybody can wear them.

If you first tried contacts 20 or even 10 years ago, you’ll likely be surprised to find out about how many great materials are available for these lenses these days and how they are much more compatible with people’s tolerance levels and body chemistry than ever before.

If you’re picking up a pair of glasses for work, be sure to consult with your optometrist about what types of glasses would best protect you in your work environment.

Today, people who have prescription requirements for clear vision can take advantage of many safety glass designs on the market that provide excellent protection and razor-sharp visual clarity.

Use Vision Screenings As A Secondary Alternative

If you want to detect premature eye disease, use vision screenings as a secondary alternative to an eye exam. These eye tests are limited and effective for determining early vision problems. These screenings are brief, and can be used by a school nurse, pediatrician or healthcare provider.

Vision screenings are commonly used when renewing a driver’s license. Vision screenings are minor alternatives for concluding muscle coordination and common eye diseases. It does not serve as a substitute for getting a proper eye exam.

It does, however, show whether you need to take further steps to get proper vision care. Proper eye exams are carried out by a professional for the purpose of testing all properties of your vision.

How Should You Prepare For Your Next Eye Test

Eye exams can be used for more than just assessments determining if you need contacts or not. The best method of undergoing an eye exam is to come prepared with questions for your doctor. Expect to answer questions as well.

Being aware if you have allergic reactions to certain medicines, or detailed family history of eye disease will help your eye doctor come to the best decision of which method to use while treating your condition.

Contact Our Eye Doctors at VAL-Uvision for an Eye Appointment In Jacksonville

Our eye doctors recommend the a comprehensive eye exam once a year for the Jax community.  At VAL-Uvision, we’re proud to be the preferred optometrists in Jacksonville.

If you are searching for dependable eye care, VAL-Uvision provides eye exams with the best eye doctors Jacksonville FL has to offer. For more information about how you can get an eye exam in Jacksonville, contact us today. We’ll be happy to make you an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam. If you’re diagnosed with a condition that requires glasses or contact lenses, we’ll also be happy to help you get the right corrective lenses for your needs.