I had to take my contacts to get professionally cleaned today and while I was sitting in the waiting area I got into a conversation with a woman who provided me with some eye opening news.
Long story short, a few months ago she scheduled an eye exam because she was having a problem with her left eye jerking uncontrollably. Our ophthalmologist examined her eye and referred her to another doctor who suggested she have an MRI done. The MRI (a magnetic scan) revealed that she had a tumor on her pituitary gland. She underwent surgery and she’s fine now, but as she is quick to point out, that one eye exam potentially saved her life.
YIKES! Makes you wonder, huh? The other thing this woman stressed was how infrequently she came in for eye exams. She figured there was no reason to visit unless there was something wrong. How many of us follow subscribe to the same philosophy?
After my chat with this woman I did some research and found that tens of millions of Americans have some form of eye disease, and the majority of them don’t even know they have a problem. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, in thousands of cases a simple eye exam uncovers some very serious medical problems.
Doctors say the routine eye exams that patients are given (the one where doctors test your side vision; look at your pupils; examine the position of your lid; and see how well your eyes track left to right up and down) can reveal a multitude of other problems. Systemic diseases in other parts of the body, diabetic disease, uncontrolled hypertension, vascular problems, even conditions like multiple sclerosis, to name just a few.
Ophthalmologists aren’t kidding when they say the eyes are the windows to the body. In a single eye exam a doctor can see arteries, veins and nerves in the back of your eye and retina. If a potential problem is detected, your doctor will refer you to a specialist. (Similar to what happened with the woman I met in the waiting area.)
So how often should you get your eyes checked? The American Optometric Association recommends people undergo an eye exam every 2 years, and annually after the age of 60. However, the group also adds that there are other variables to consider regarding how often you should get an exam, including age, medical history, your family’s vision history and your own health history.
When was the last time you got your eyes checked?
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