Many of us are very proactive when it comes to our medical needs. We get yearly physicals, go to the dentist twice a year, and some of us even make sure to get our monthly massage. One area, however, where many people wait until a problem arises to see a professional is their eyes. I can say this because as an eye doctor it is a daily occurrence to see patients who haven’t had their eyes checked in 5 or more years. Our eye are one of those we take for granted. We will not fully appreciate them unless we lose them. And while blindness as a whole is pretty rare, there is no reason to get the eyes checked regularly to screen for any conditions that could affect your vision in the future.
As mentioned before, a lot of us are very proactive with our health nowadays. Medicine is starting to realize that prevention is better than treatment so preventative exams are highly recommended. Yet this is generally not practice in regards to eye care. In a survey by the American Optometric Association, 35% of Americans have never been to an eye doctor in over five years. That is a staggering number considering that in the same survey close to 60% of people said that vision is the sense they would least like to lose. Whether this is because of a misinformed public, a poor job of education by practitioners, or lack of insurance coverage, the fact remains that people are not getting their eyes examined as often as they should. A NY Times survey even found that a whopping 86% of people with diagnosed eye disease do not get yearly exams. If public health is such a big concern to this country, the eyes seem like a good place to start.
Another problem lies in the public perception about eye health. Many people feel they do not need to go to the eye doctor if they can see fine. This is a dangerous notion because there are many conditions such as glaucoma, diabetes, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors and macular degeneration, just to name a few, which can be detected by an eye doctor at an early stage and possibly be prevented. When the symptoms occur, such as blurry or dark vision, this can represent the end stage of the condition in which it becomes very difficult to treat. And this does not just apply for older people. Many eye conditions are genetic and if a family member has a condition, it would be a good idea to get yourself checked out. Finally, even if there is not any eye disease, many people who say they can see well in reality could see much better, because they never knew what clear, crisp vision was in the first place!
Nutrition and lifestyle can also play a big role in eye health. It is a commonly held belief that eating carrots is good for your vision. While it certainly doesn’t cause any harm, beta carotene has not been found to have much of an effect on vision or any of the structures on the eye. It has been found that spinach is packed with antioxidants and vitamins that are very good for the eye, especially for certain eye conditions. In general, a healthy balanced diet is all the eye needs to function properly, and the lack of one can cause problems down the road. As if smoking wasn’t bad enough, it was found that it can also increase the chance of glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. It can also cause irritation and dry eyes, especially for those who wear contact lenses. So just as nutrition and lifestyle can affect our general health, they can also affect our eyes too.
Here’s an example of why getting regular eye exams can not only help your vision, but your finances as well. I recently had a patient who I saw for her last exam about 4 years ago. At that time I noted that she had some early signs of macular degeneration, which can lead to central blindness. I had advised her to see a specialist for a consult and get her eyes checked at least once a year. Long story short, she never saw a specialist or anyone in the past 4 years and she came in complaining of blurry vision. Looking inside her eye it was obvious that her condition had worsened, and she definitely needed to see a specialist for treatment. She know needs to get monthly injections in the eye which her insurance doesn’t cover. If she had gotten her eyes checked every year, there are certain preventative measures that could have been taken to slow down the condition. She was grateful to me for finding the condition, but really regretted not following up on it. Now her vision and her wallet are taking a hit.
So my recommendation is for everyone who hasn’t gotten their eyes checked in a while, to go make an appointment, if you are doing it regularly, keep it up. Most people should be getting their eyes checked at least every 2 years if not sooner depending on your doctor’s recommendation. Prevention is better than cure so let’s all be proactive with this most important sense of ours. If there are any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge.
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