3 Reasons To Opt For Face Time With Your Eye Doctor

You’re probably used to seeing your eye doctor every year for a check-up. Yet with today’s access to online eye exams, you may be questioning the need to continue to do so on an annual basis. As it turns out, online eye exams might be convenient, but they have limitations when it comes to overall eye health. Here are three reasons it’s essential to see your eye doctor in person every year.

1. Catch eye and health issues early.

An eyecare provider can spot overall health issues just by doing an eye exam. They’re often the first to note diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and even some kinds of cancer. When it comes to eye health, online eye exams may be able to point to vision correction problems, but they can’t provide insight into holistic eye health and diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. In-person tests with the right equipment can help identify health issues — for example, the eye pressure test equipment that blows a small air puff into the eye tests for glaucoma.

2. Monitor current or future health problems.

If you live with or have a family history of certain health conditions, an in-person annual eye exam can help track eye health risks associated with these conditions. People with diabetes or high blood pressure and those with a family history of macular degeneration or glaucoma are considered “at risk” for eye and vision problems. Also at risk? Contact lens wearers and people with jobs that require they stare at a computer screen throughout the day.

3. Start good eye health habits early—and keep them up.

If you have kids, put them on the path to good vision and healthy eyes while they’re young. Ideally, children should have their first comprehensive eye exam as early as at the age of six months, followed by in-person exams at three and five years old. Afterward, be sure to take them in every one or two years, or if you think they might be having vision problems. Symptoms to watch for include: a short attention span, dislike of reading, difficulty seeing the chalkboard or tying shoes, blinking and rubbing of eyes, and sitting too close to the TV.

There’s more to ocular health than meets the eye—so find an eyecare professional and be sure to pay her or him a visit every year.