Do you need to get your eyes checked?

Your Vision Matters! Your eyes are the windows to the world, but did you know those common eye problems like myopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia can impact your daily life? From squinting to blurry visions, these pesky eye issues can wrench your day. Let's explore the importance of eye health and discover if you need to get your eyes checked!

Importance of eye health

You can see images, motion, depth, millions of colours, and various shades thanks to the cooperation of various eye parts. Numerous conditions, such as common vision issues like myopia (nearsightedness), astigmatism, and eye injuries, can affect how your eyes function. Eye issues can also result from several illnesses and conditions, including autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and high blood pressure, which are not necessarily eye-related.

Eye health and care are crucial from birth and throughout one's entire life. As you age, your vision changes. You can protect your vision by being aware of what to anticipate and when to get help from a professional. You can take proper steps to maintain good eye health!

Understanding vision problems

Many interrelated parts in your eye and brain cooperate to give you a vision and let you see the world. Different conditions that affect your vision interfere with the light’s ability to pass from the brain to your eyes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2.2 billion people worldwide suffer from a near- or distance vision impairment.

1. Myopia

Myopia (nearsightedness), a common vision condition, causes near objects to appear clear but far objects to appear blurry. It can occur when the light rays are not refracted (bent) correctly by the eyes. It usually develops during childhood and adolescence.

Symptoms may include:

• Blurry vision when seeing far away
• Squinting to see clearly
• Headaches
• Eyestrain

2. Hyperopia

• With farsightedness (hyperopia), a common vision disorder, you may be able to see distant objects clearly, but nearby objects may appear blurry.
• Farsightedness typically develops at birth and runs in families. Using eyeglasses or contact lenses, you can easily treat this condition. Surgery may be necessary on occasion.

Symptoms may include:

• Nearby objects appear blurry
• Squinting
• Burning eyes
• Discomfort and pain in the eyes

3. Astigmatism

Your vision may become distorted or blurry if you have astigmatism, a common condition of the eyes.

It occurs when your cornea—the transparent outer layer of your eye—or lens—the inner portion of your eye that aids in eye focus—has an abnormal shape.

You can improve your vision with eyeglasses or contact lenses, and some people can have their astigmatism corrected surgically.

Symptoms may include:

• Blurry vision
• Squinting to see clearly
• Headaches
• Eyestrain
• Difficulty seeing at night

There is no cure for astigmatism currently, and there is no known cause. Astigmatism can be acquired as a child or young adult for many people, though some people are born with it.

4. Presbyopia

Middle-aged and older adults struggle to see details up close due to the refractive error known as presbyopia.

It occurs because the lens, an internal component of the eye that aids in focusing, stops properly focusing light on the retina (a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye).

Age-related presbyopia is a common occurrence. Everyone develops presbyopia as they age, typically after the age of 45.

Symptoms may include:

• Difficulty in seeing things from close
• Holding the books farther away to focus on them
• Eye fatigue (when your eyes feel tired or sore)
• Headache

Using glasses or contact lenses and bright-reading lights may help in presbyopia.

Importance of regular eye exams

A vital component of maintaining good health is having your eyes examined. Your healthcare provider examines your eyes closely and performs many tests during a comprehensive eye examination.

Some exams check your vision to see if you need contacts or glasses. Other examinations evaluate your eye health and look for any eye conditions. Eye exams can aid medical professionals in assessing your general health.

But do you know how frequently you and your family should have eye exams?

Eye exams for children

The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have developed specific recommendations for childhood eye screening.

• Doctors examine a newborn’s eyes to look for the red reflex (similar to seeing red eyes in a flash photo) and blink and pupil response.
• Between 6 and 12 months, a second screening is typically conducted at a well-child visit. Visual eye inspection is involved, along with assessing normal eye alignment and movement, red reflex, blinking, and pupil response.
• Children between the ages of 12 and 36 months may be subjected to a ‘photo screening’ test, where pictures of their eyes are taken. A child’s vision and eye alignment should be examined between the ages of 3 and 5.
• As soon as the child is old enough to read an eye chart, a visual acuity test should be performed to determine whether or not their vision is 20/20, for example.
• Children should undergo a visual alignment and acuity test at age 5. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the most prevalent issue in this age group. Glasses are used to correct it.
• Further, eye disease is identified through a comprehensive eye exam, which is suggested if children have unusual visual behaviour, are suspected of developing eye problems or have preexisting medical conditions like Down’s syndrome, retinoblastoma, etc.

Eye exams for adults

You should visit your ophthalmologist for a thorough examination once in your 20s and twice in your 30s if your eyes are healthy and your vision is good. At age 40, the American Academy of Ophthalmology advises adults to have a thorough eye exam. This is when early disease symptoms or vision changes may manifest.

Some adults shouldn't put off getting a thorough eye exam until they are 40 years old. Especially, if you have the following conditions or risk factors:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Eye disease in the family

Eye exams for seniors

Make sure to get your eyes checked every year or two if you are 65 or older.

Your ophthalmologist will look for indications of ageing-related eye conditions like:

• Cataracts
• Retinopathy In diabetics
• Mature macular degeneration with age
• Glaucoma

Do you need to get your eyes checked?

The majority of kids and adults should get thorough eye exams every one to two years. People who are more likely to develop eye diseases or vision issues may require more frequent eye exams.

While routine eye exams are essential, certain signs might indicate an urgent need to schedule an appointment with an eye care professional:

• Blurred Vision: If you experience sudden or persistent blurriness, it could be indicative of a refractive error, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. These issues can often be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
• Eye Strain and Discomfort: If you find yourself frequently experiencing eye strain, headaches, or discomfort, especially after prolonged periods of reading, using digital devices, or engaging in close-up tasks, it might be time for an eye exam.
• Floaters and Flashes: The sudden appearance of floaters (small, drifting specks in your field of vision) or flashes of light could be a sign of a retinal issue. These symptoms require immediate attention to prevent potential retinal detachment.
• Changes in Night Vision: Difficulty seeing clearly at night, experiencing glare from headlights, or noticing halos around lights can indicate various eye conditions, including cataracts or worsening myopia.
• Eye Pain and Redness: Persistent eye pain, redness, itching, or a sensation of a foreign object in the eye could be symptoms of an infection, inflammation, or other underlying issues.
• Gradual Loss of Peripheral Vision: This could be a sign of conditions like glaucoma, which can gradually reduce peripheral vision without causing noticeable changes in central vision.
• Family History of Eye Conditions: If there's a history of eye diseases in your family, you might be at a higher risk of developing similar conditions. Regular eye check-ups become even more crucial in such cases.

Conclusion

Our eyes are an irreplaceable part of our lives, providing us with the ability to experience and cherish the world around us. Regular eye check-ups are not only about maintaining clear vision; they are a proactive step towards ensuring overall eye health and catching potential issues early.

Just as we prioritize other aspects of our well-being, from physical fitness to mental health, let's not overlook the significance of caring for our eyes. If you've been neglecting your eye health, now is the time to take action and schedule that overdue eye examination. Remember, the path to a lifetime of clear vision begins with a single step—scheduling that much-needed eye check-up.