EYE CHECKUP – A KEY TO MAINTAINING A GOOD EYE HEALTH
- Ocen Chris
- Jul 27
- 3 min read
An eye exam is a procedure where an eye care specialist checks your eyesight, vision and eye health.
This simple process is something that everyone needs, not just people who need glasses or contact lenses. You may need eye exams more frequently if you have certain medical conditions.
What benefits do you get from having routine eye check-ups?
Many adults, especially those in their 30s and 40s miss vision tests because they think they don't need them.
But eye checkups can help you get prevent blindness-caused by conditions like glaucoma.
Early diagnosis and treatment can slow vision loss.
Regular eye tests can help keep your eyes healthy by assessing:
How clearly you see.
If one eye has better vision than the other.
If you have astigmatism or color blindness.
Your peripheral vision.
Whether you have a condition that needs treatment (such as glaucoma, cataracts or macular degeneration and even eye cancer growths).
In addition to strictly vision-related conditions, eye checkups may also help doctors identify other conditions like: Aneurysms, Brain tumors, Cancer, High blood pressure, Lupus, etc.
What Exactly Happens During Routine Eye Check-Ups?
Visual Acuity Test-measures the ability of each individual eye to distinguish shapes, letters or numbers at a given distance.
Visual refraction test - determines if you need vision correction as well as the corrective lens prescription that will help give you the sharpest clearest vision.
Visual Field Test- determines your central field of vision, which is the area right in front of you or what you can see without moving your eyes.
It also checks your peripheral vision which is the area above, below and to the sides of your central vision.
Slit Lamp Exam-A slit lamp is a special microscope that lets your doctor use intense light to enhance the front and back chambers of your eye, so your doctor can examine the cornea, iris, lens and the retina.
Glaucoma Test- measures the pressure inside your eye referred to as intraocular pressure.
It helps your eye doctor detect glaucoma a disease that causes pressure to build up inside your eyes and can cause blindness.
Corneal Topography- tests for variations of the curvature of the surface of your corneas. While you stare at an object, your eye doctor takes thousands of pictures of the surface of your eye to map the shape of your cornea.
This can help them see if your cornea has an irregular curvature which is called astigmatism.
It also helps your doctor create contact lenses that fit your eye and can help them prepare for things like cataract surgery or corneal transplant surgery.
Fundoscopy-special eye drops are put in your eyes to dilate them (increase the size of your pupil) for 15 to 20 minutes for the solution to take effect.
Then light is shone into your eyes so as to get a better look at your optic nerve, lens and retina.
How Often Should You Get an Eye Check-Up?
To maintain a lifetime of healthy vision, it’s recommended that;
Children should have their first eye exam at 6-8 weeks of age, another exam should be done at the age of three and again before the start of first grade.
Children with risk factors for vision problems may need their first eye exam earlier than 6 months of age and may need eye exams more frequently throughout childhood.
If a child is not at risk, they can continue having their eyes examined every year until the age of 18 years.
Children need regular eye exams to detect vision problems that may interfere with learning.
Adults aged 18 to 60 should have a comprehensive eye exam at least once every two years.
Older adults (ages 65 and above) should have annual eye exams.
"At risk" adults should have an exam at least once every year or as recommended by their doctor.
Note; If you have any of the following eye problems, don't hesitate to visit your eye doctor as soon as possible:
Decreased vision.
Draining or redness of the eye.
Eye pain.
Double vision.
Floaters (tiny specks that appear to float before your eyes).
Circles (halos) around lights.
Flashes of light.
Conclusion
Regular eye checkups are essential for maintaining good eye health and detecting eye problems early so by prioritizing eye care, you can improve your vision, prevent eye complications, blindness and enhance your quality of life.
If you want to have your eyes checked or make an appointment, contact Clinison Medical Center on 0704007172 / 0763172308 or www.clinisionmedical.com
Reference
Author: Aluka Mary- Head of Nursing, Clinison Medical Center
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