Why Regular Eye Exams Are Important

There are a number of reasons why you should never skip having your eyes checked regularly. Eye health is an important part of overall health. During a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor is doing more than just prescribing contacts of eye glasses. Read on to learn more about the specific issues your eye doctor is looking for during a routine exam.

1. Eye Disease
   During a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor may detect problems with your vision that can include farsightedness, nearsightedness, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, dry eyes, astigmatism, amblyopia (misaligned eyes) and strabismus (crossed eyes). And as you age, when eye problems become more likely, the need for a comprehensive exam becomes even more important
2. Significant Medical Conditions
   They say the eyes are the window to the soul. During your eye exam, they’re also a window to the inside of your body. In fact, your eyes give your doctor the best look at your arteries, cranial nerve and blood vessels. Just looking into your eyes can detect a variety of medical conditions including high blood pressure, artery disease, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism, to name a few.
3. The Onset of Impaired Vision and Blindness
   Many eye diseases can lead to vision impairment and even blindness in some cases if left undetected. These conditions include macular degeneration, glaucoma, vascular disease, retinal detachment and corneal disease. Your eye doctor can detect eye diseases that, if not identified early on, can be untreatable in the later stages. These include retinal detachment, vascular and corneal disease, and macular degeneration. Many eye diseases, such as glaucomaand diabetic retinopathy, have no symptoms in their early stages. If these conditions are left untreated, they can cause vision impairment and, in some cases, blindness.

Regardless of your age or physical health, eye exams are an important way to maintain good health. If you’re between the ages 18 to 60, you should get an eye exam every other year if you don’t wear contact lenses and have no health or vision problems. People with chronic health problems or who are over 61 should have an eye exam at least once a year (sometimes more often) as recommended by your eye doctor.

To make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your eyes healthy, or to learn more about receiving treatment for glaucoma, cataracts or LASIK in Chicago, schedule a consultation with Dr. Sondheimer online or by calling: 847-677-2794.