The Importance of Regular Eye Checkups

Despite being one of the most sensitive organs in the body, the eyes are often overlooked. Most people wait for obvious signs of something being wrong, but with eyes, symptoms are often late to show.

Regular eye exams are necessary for all age groups for various reasons. For children, vision is an integral part of learning and development, and with age, people become increasingly susceptible to vision issues and diseases.

 Regular eye checkups are essential for a multitude of reasons.

1.     Well maintained eye health is critical for child development

Poor eyesight from an early age is becoming more common. Good vision is integral to a child’s learning and development, and they’re often unable to discern or speak about issues related to the eye they may be facing. For instance, children cannot notice their eyesight getting weaker, and it is usually the parent or teacher who may pick up on the child's squinting.

With the increased amount of screen time children are exposed to, they are at more risk of eye problems such as farsightedness. Taking a child to get their eyes checked at least once every year is essential to ensure their eye health.

Children are developing myopia more than ever before. Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness, and developing it earlier on in life and leaving it unchecked can result in more serious eye conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma down the line. When it is detected early, measures can be taken to control the progression of myopia and significantly reduce the risks of the other conditions developing later on.

2.     Most people today are at risk of sustaining eyestrain

Smart devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets are nearly impossible to avoid in today’s world. From professionals to students, even daily tasks like booking appointments, catching up on the news and watching the latest episode of their favorite TV show involve more than a few minutes of screen time. Additionally, more people are working through phones, laptops, and computers.

As a result, eyestrain has become a prevalent condition. Usually, it can be treated with greater rest and care. However, frequent episodes of eyestrain can affect eyesight and even lead to more serious eye conditions.

Regular headaches, dry eye, blurred or double vision, increased sensitivity to light, and general discomfort in the eyes are all signs proper eye care is not being maintained. While milder cases of eyestrain can be managed with better care at home, more serious cases must be identified and treated by a doctor.

3.     Seemingly innocuous eye issues can be indicators of more serious health problems

Many people are diagnosed with serious conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and cancer after a doctor can pick up on a suspicious eye condition through a routine eye exam. The eyes being the window to the soul is not just a cliché – they serve as solid indicators of something more serious going on within the body that only a doctor would be able to discern.

Health conditions such as diabetes cause visible changes in the eye's blood vessels. For someone at risk of conditions, regular eye exams become even more important. Those at risk of developing diabetes are also vulnerable to diabetic eye disease.

Diabetic eye disease, like many other eye diseases, show no early symptoms. If left untreated, it can snowball into vision loss or complete blindness. It is almost impossible to catch such eye conditions in their early stages and easily treated. Only a thorough eye exam by a professional can detect something awry and begin treatment quickly.

So important is eye health that there is research being conducted to come up with an eye test that can identify a person’s likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

4.     Age is a contributing factor to the vulnerability of the organs

It’s hardly a secret that with age, people can fight minor problems within their bodies with less efficiency. Organs slow down, and the eyes are no exception. With increasing age, the eyes become more vulnerable to eye conditions such as cataracts and presbyopia.

With conditions such as cataracts that have become more common in people of higher age groups, if left untreated, they can develop to have more serious consequences like complete blindness. At later stages, they also become harder to treat.

Past a certain age, the more frequent the visits to the doctor, the better. They catch issues most people brush off.

5.     Prescriptions often need to be updated

For those that wear glasses or corrective lenses, prescriptions are only valid for 12 months. Not many people find this an important enough fact to take seriously and don’t get their prescription checked until they perhaps find that their eyewear in San Diego doesn’t help them see clearly anymore. However, it’s not easy to spot a changing prescription on your own.

More often than not, the change in the prescription will not be drastic enough to pick up on your own. If the eyeglasses in San Diego are not the correct prescription even slightly, it can put the wearer at a greater risk of developing eye strain.

Whether it’s luxury glasses in San Diego or any old pair, getting a prescription updated at least once a year is essential. There are numerous luxury eyewear brands in San Diego and designer eyewear in San Diego available that might serve as an enticing enough incentive to get those prescriptions updated with a trip to the doctor.