For adults, a regular eye exam is an important part of maintaining your overall health and making your vision last a lifetime. Without an eye exam, critical health issues can be overlooked until it’s too late.
Our eyes change as we age. In particular, people over the age of 40 may be at an increased risk for age-related eye conditions, some of which may have no visible symptoms until the condition is advanced and difficult, or even impossible, to treat.
common questions from our patients:
What is astigmatism? Astigmatism is a common vision condition that causes blurred vision. It occurs when the cornea (the clear front cover of the eye) is irregularly shaped or sometimes because of the curvature of the lens inside the eye.
What is nearsightedness? Nearsightedness also knowns as myopia is a common vision condition in which you can see objects near to you clearly, but objects farther away are blurry. It occurs when the shape of your eye causes light rays to bend (refract) incorrectly, focusing images in front of your retina instead of on your retina.
What is farsightedness? Farsightedness also known as hyperopia is a common vision condition in which you can see distant objects clearly, but objects nearby may be blurry. The degree of your farsightedness influences your focusing ability.
What is prism? A prism bends light. Prism in glasses can kind of fool your eyes into thinking they are working together without strain. Prism can also help with double vision by aligning the two images into one. ... Some patients who require prism can wear contact lenses, and some can't.
the most common eye problems amoung adults include:
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Presbyopia: a natural effect of aging in which the ability to focus on close objects decreases over time. Presbyopia can cause headaches, blurred vision, and the need for more light or sore eyes.
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Dry Eye: a condition which causes symptoms of burning, scratch and irritated eyes. It actually affects your vision because the tears are part of your refracting system.
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Cataracts: distorted or cloudy vision caused by the lens inside the eye losing its transparency over time. Cataracts can require changes to your glasses or surgical removal.
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Diabetic Retinopathy: a weakening or swelling of the tiny blood vessels in the retina of your eye, and the growth of new blood vessels resulting in blood leakage and other changes. If left untreated, blindness can result.
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Macular degeneration: a disease that results in degenerative changes to your central vision, and is a leading cause of vision loss among older adults.
- Glaucoma: a “silent thief” that often has no symptoms until significant damage has occurred. Glaucoma is caused by elevated pressure within the eye, and can lead to serious vision loss if not detected and treated at an early stage.
Your eyes are also windows to your overall health, and an eye exam can also uncover underlying—and life-threatening—health issues, such as Type 2 diabetes, brain tumors, cancer of the eye, high blood pressure, certain vascular diseases and brain or eye tumors.
The AOA recommends eye exams every year for those age 18-60 at risk of eye disease or needing vision correct and all patients 61 and older. Those 18-60 with no symptoms and no vision correction should be seen at least every 2 years. Other health conditions assessed by your Doctor of Optometry may also warrant more frequent eye examinations.