healthy vision month

May is Healthy Vision Month (nei.nih.gov/hvm)!  Yes, I realize May is almost over.  In my defense, I wrote most of this article a couple of weeks ago.  It just took so long to post because I couldn't decide on fonts for the blog...

Even though I was visiting the eye doctor fairly regularly as a child and a teenager, I didn't really have a clue what was being done during the exam or why it was being done until I began looking into optometry as a career.  I think it's important to know at least a little about what your eyes do, how they work, and why it's important to get them checked regularly.  I will try not to bore you too much and just hit the high points!

• On the most obvious level, your eyes allow you to see the world around you.  The goal is to have clear, comfortable, and single vision.  Eye doctors have multiple tools they can utilize to achieve this goal, such as glasses, contact lenses, vision therapy, and surgery.  But "seeing well" is only a piece of the puzzle and is not an indication of your eye health.

• Aside from revealing signs of eye infections, glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, your eye exam can also reveal general health problems.  Your eyes are connected to the rest of your body, so conditions that affect your body can manifest in the eyes.  The eyes are the only place in the body where your blood vessels can be viewed directly and non-invasively.  Through a dilated eye exam, your eye doctor can examine the blood vessels and tissue of the back of the eye (the retina), which can reveal signs of systemic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, anemia, cardiovascular disease, and more.  Some of these conditions can present with no symptoms early on, so it is important to see your eye doctor regularly.

photo of the back of the eye

• Your eyes are an extension of your brain.  Visual processing begins at the retina of the eye and ends at the visual cortex of the brain.  Many aspects of an eye exam evaluate the state of the visual pathway, including pupil testing, visual fields, extra-ocular motility testing, and fundus examination.  These tests can uncover central nervous system issues such as multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, increased intracranial pressure, brain aneurysms and more.  

So now that we've covered why you need an eye exam, let's discuss how often you should have an eye exam.  

• ADULTS:  The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that asymptomatic/risk-free adults have an eye exam at least every 2 years until age 60, and every year thereafter.  Adults “at risk” are recommended to have eye exams every 1-2 years, or as deemed appropriate by their eye care professional.  Many of us fit into the “at risk” category, as that includes people who wear contact lenses, people with a family history of eye diseases like glaucoma or macular degeneration, people working in occupations with high visual demands or eye hazards, and people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or other vascular abnormalities.  I personally recommend a comprehensive eye exam at least every year for most patients, but it's particularly advised if you fall into this group.  
• CHILDREN:  The AOA recommends an eye exam at 6 months old, 3 years old, before first grade, and every two years after that for asymptomatic/risk-free children.  As with adults, the recommended frequency of examination increases if the child is “at risk,” which can include those children born premature, those with developmental delays, those with eye turns, and those with a high prescription in one or both eyes.  While vision screenings at school and at the pediatrician's office are incredibly valuable tools, they do not replace comprehensive eye exams.  I cannot stress enough the importance of getting children to the eye doctor early.  The sooner things like eye turns and high prescriptions can be detected, the better the visual prognosis for the child.  I will dedicate a separate post to children's eye health in the future.

I hope this post gave you some insight into eye examinations and why they are an important part of your health care.  As always, feel free to email me with any questions, comments, or concerns.  Thanks for visiting, and I hope you continue to follow the blog!