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Why Are Eye Exams Important?
Regardless of your age or physical health, it is important for everyone to have regular eye exams.
When an eye doctor examines your eyes, he or she is doing more than checking to see if you need glasses. During a complete
eye exam, your eye doctor will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.
Who Should Get Their Eyes Examined?
Eye examinations are an important part of health maintenance for everyone. Adults should have their
eyes tested to keep their prescriptions current and to check for early signs of eye disease. For children, eye exams can play an important role in normal development.
Vision is closely linked to the learning process. Children who have trouble seeing or interpreting what they see will often
have trouble with their schoolwork. Many times, children will not complain of vision problems simply because they don't know
what "normal" vision looks like. If your child performs poorly at school or exhibits a reading or learning disability, be
sure to have his eyes examined to rule out an underlying visual cause.
What Is the Eye Doctor Checking for?
In addition to evaluating your eyes for glasses and contacts, your eye doctor will check your eyes for eye diseases and
other problems that could lead to vision loss. Here are some examples of the conditions that your eye doctor will be looking
for:
Refractive Error: This refers to your prescription, including nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Refractive error is corrected with eyeglasses, contacts or refractive surgery.
Amblyopia: This occurs when the eyes are turned or when one eye has a much different prescription than the other.
The brain will "shut off" the image from the turned or blurry eye. When left untreated, amblyopia can stunt the visual development
of the affected eye, resulting in permanent vision impairment. Amblyopia is often treated by patching the stronger eye for
periods of time.
Strabismus: Strabismus is defined as crossed or turned eyes. The examiner will check your eyes' alignment to be
sure that they are working together. Strabismus causes problems with depth perception and can lead to amblyopia.
Eye Diseases: Many eye diseases, such as glaucoma and diabetic eye disease, have no symptoms in their early stages. Your eye doctor will check the health of your eyes inside
and out for signs of early problems. In most cases, early detection and treatment of eye diseases can help reduce your risk
for permanent vision loss.
Other Diseases: Eye doctors can detect early signs of some conditions and diseases by looking at your eye's blood
vessels, retina and so forth. Your eye doctor may be able to tell you if you are developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol
or a few other problems.
For example, diabetes can cause small blood vessel leaks or bleeding in the eye, as
well as swelling of the macula, which can lead to vision loss. Your eye doctor will likely detect this during a complete eye exam. It is estimated that
one-third of Americans who have diabetes don't know it; your eye doctor may detect the disease before your primary care physician
does, especially if you're overdue for a physical.
What Is the Difference Between a Vision Screening and a Complete Eye Exam?
Vision screenings are general eye tests that are meant to help identify people who are at risk for vision problems. These
are the brief vision tests performed by the school nurse, the pediatrician or screeners in the workplace.
The eye test that you take when you get your driver's license renewed is another example of a vision screening.
Vision screenings are useful tools for identifying potential vision problems. Depending on who is performing the test and
where the test is given, vision screenings may include tests for blur, muscle coordination and/or common eye diseases. A vision
screening can indicate that you need to get an eye exam, but it does not serve as a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam.
A comprehensive eye examination is performed by an eye doctor and will involve careful testing of all aspects
of your vision. Based upon the results of your exam, the eye doctor will then recommend a treatment plan for your individual
needs. Remember, only an eye doctor can provide a comprehensive eye exam — most family physicians and pediatricians
are not fully trained to do this, and studies have shown that they can miss important vision problems that require treatment.
Treatment plans can include glasses or contact lenses for blur, eye exercises or surgery for muscle problems, medical treatment
for eye disease or simply a recommendation that you have your eyes examined again in another couple of years!
No matter who you are, regular eye exams are important for seeing more clearly, learning more easily and preserving your
vision for life.
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Drs Therese Langille and Angela Tam use the latest techniques to make your eye exam thorough, comfortable and educational.
While we will put eyedrops in your eyes during your exam, it's always your decision to make with the doctor whether
you will have your eyes dilated or not. And, we promise not to blow air in your eyes!
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