Don't Delay Getting Your Eye Exam

Did you know that 80% of respondents on a survey agree that their vision is the most important sense to have and that 97% of them agree that healthy eyesight is important. But only half of them went to get their eye exam in 2018.

Did you know that many causes of vision loss & blindness go undetected until it's too late?

Many of these have no symptoms until it's too late. Diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts Retinitis Pigmentosa, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

This is why an annual eye exam is important.



I don't mean the easy one that checks your glasses prescription. Sit in a chair, cover one eye and spout off letters off the chart "E...F...P...T..." and now the other eye, then you're on your way. 



I mean a comprehensive one that takes about an hour (depending on your doctor). Where they run tests for acuity, color blindness, cover test (testing how each eye works alone),  eye movement, depth perception, glaucoma, and visual field (for peripheral vision).

They'll also use different methods to examine the inner eye with cameras and magnifiers.

You're probably thinking "I don't have time for that and besides I have 20/20 vision".

Well, let me tell you about the eye diseases I mentioned above:

​Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy causes damage to the retina of the eye and usually goes undetected until it's too severe to correct. Diabetes monitoring, health checks and eye exams can help prevent it or stop it in its early stages.

Diabetic retinopathy happens when diabetes damages blood vessels inside the eye causing blind spots and blurry vision. This type of vision loss also can fluctuate, meaning the severity of your vision changes from day to day or even from morning to night.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve that carries information from the eye to the brain. It usually has few or no initial symptoms and causes the loss of peripheral vision and even blindness if left untreated.

Glaucoma can happen at any age, but is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60.

Cataracts

Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and is the major cause of blindness in the world. It's basically a clouding of the eye lens that help focus light onto the retina.

In the early stages one can just get stronger glasses, bifocals and such, but in the later stages when cataracts are really impairing your vision, surgery can be a successful but pricey option.

Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a rare degenerative disease where the retina slowly worsens over time causing blindness. The first symptoms of RP are difficulty seeing at night and in later stages only a small area of central vision remains.

This disease affects about 1 in 4,000 people worldwide and there's no way to predict how fast it will progress or the amount of vision lost, but early detection can help you prepare for the future.

Age-related Macular Degeneration

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 and older. It causes damage to the macula, a small spot near the center of the retina and destroys central vision.

Even though AMD doesn't cause complete blindness, it does interfere with everyday activities. AMD has few symptoms in the early stages, so it's important for annual eye exams, in the late stages there is irreversible damage to central vision.

More Information

So, to save your vision that everyone believes is so important, go get an annual comprehensive eye exam.

More information about these eye diseases and others can be found on the VisionAware website. This site is also where I found the photos of the different eye diseases as well.

Lastly, for comparision, here's a photo with "normal vision".

Also please consider donating to VisionAware, a nonprofit that helps adults who are losing their sight continue to live full and independent lives.