Optometrists ensure your eyes function properly and help maintain their internal and external health. They are trained to identify, treat, and manage conditions that affect any of these factors. Discover why maintaining a relationship with an optometrist's office through regular can greatly benefit your overall health and boost your quality of life.
Optometrists are healthcare professionals who specialize in caring for the eyes, earning them the nickname of eye doctors. They are commonly believed to be medical doctors or MDs, but instead of attending medical school, they attend a school specializing in optometry in addition to college. According to UCLA Medical School, optometrists must complete a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited institution before completing an additional three to four years of optometry school to earn a degree.
Visiting an optometrist is often put on the back burner until people notice a shift in their vision quality or begin to experience abnormal symptoms. While these are still good times to check in with an optometrist, maintaining regular appointments gets ahead of potential conditions and serious vision changes. Take a closer look at three primary reasons we suggest maintaining regular checkup schedules.
Optometrists and their teams closely evaluate each eye using a series of tests and various tools. Therefore, they are able to identify conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. They can also detect diabetes and some cancers with these close evaluations.
Optometrists perform a visual acuity and refraction test during each appointment. These tests ensure the eyes function properly and they are working well together. Patients can experience lazy eye (amblyopia), convergence insufficiency, or strabismus. All of which can be corrected or managed with timely intervention and appropriate care.
Vision quality can change over time due to developing conditions or changes in the eye structure. Therefore, whether a patient once has 20/20 vision (normal vision according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology) and develops changes or always has problems seeing clearly without aides, an optometrist can help.
They perform tests to determine the presence of nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia. They can also perform tests to determine if the patient is colorblind. Testing will identify whether prescription vision aides such as contacts, eyeglasses, or eye drops will effectively achieve 20/20 vision.
As a general rule of thumb, healthy patients between 18 and 64 should visit the optometrist every two years if they have no underlying threats to their vision or internal eye structure. Those over the age of 65 should begin annual visits. Of course, if patients are experiencing adverse reactions from medications, environments, or other products affecting their eyes, they are encouraged to make an appointment ahead of time.
Remember, vision changes are inevitable. Regular visual appointments with an optometrist are vital to maintaining 20/20 vision and optimal eye health. We will perform in-depth evaluations and provide the tools you need, and we can also recommend tactics for you to perform during your daily activities to safeguard your eyes. Contact our Carmi office to schedule an appointment.
Request an appointment here: https://www.carmieyecare.com or call Carmi Eye Care at (618) 374-0513 for an appointment in our Carmi office
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