What You Should Know About Medical Eye Exams
Posted on: 16 December 2022
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Regular eye exams play an important role in maintaining your overall health and well-being. Medical eye exams provide an opportunity to detect and diagnose a wide range of conditions that could affect your eyesight as well as other areas of your health. Here's what you should know about medical eye exams and why they are so important.
What Tests Are Performed?
During a medical eye exam, the doctor will perform various tests to assess the health of your eyes. The doctor needs to examine your vision, the overall health of your eyes, and the health of the tissue structures surrounding them.
- Visual acuity test. This test measures how well you can see at different distances.
- Refraction test. This test assesses how light is focused on the retina and helps you and your doctor determine the best corrective lens strength to improve your vision.
- Color vision test. Color vision testing checks your ability to distinguish colors.
- Glaucoma screening. This screening looks for increased pressure in the eyes, which could indicate glaucoma, a condition that can cause permanent vision loss if left untreated.
- Dilated eye exam. You will receive special drops to dilate the pupils during a dilated eye exam, allowing your doctor to get a better look at the internal structures of your eyes and can help detect several common diseases.
What Diseases Can Be Detected During a Medical Eye Exam?
Medical eye exams can detect many diseases, including:
- Macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is caused by damage to the macula, located at the retina's center and responsible for central vision.
- Cataracts. Cataracts occur when proteins build up on the lens, causing it to become cloudy or opaque.
- Diabetic retinopathy. Uncontrolled high blood sugar levels often present in diabetic and pre-diabetic patients can lead to damaged blood vessels in the retina, causing blurred vision or even blindness.
- Dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndrome is caused by insufficient tear production, resulting in dryness or irritation.
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This occurs when cells in the macula break down, leading to loss of central vision over time.
What Are the Benefits of Having Regular Medical Eye Exams?
Regular medical eye exams are important because they allow doctors to detect any potential issues. Early detection can also help prevent more serious complications from developing, such as continued vision loss or even total blindness. In addition, regular medical eye exams can help identify signs of systemic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension before symptoms present themselves, allowing for earlier intervention and treatment if needed.
Everyone gets busy, and it's easy to forget about getting regular medical eye exams. However, an exam can make all the difference when it comes to preserving your eyesight. Call and schedule yours today.