3 Great Reasons to Have Regular Eye Exams

Most of us think of eye exams as a simple appointment to read letters from a chart then update our prescription for glasses or contacts, so it stands to reason that people who don’t wear glasses or notice changes in their vision often go years without a visit to the optometrist.  However, there are some very important reasons you should be getting your eyes checked every 1-2 years, even if you think your vision is perfect.

Confirm the 20/20

Vision changes typically happen slowly, so you may not notice when your eagle eyes aren’t as sharp as they once were.  Your optometrist can help you catch small changes in your vision and correct them before they snowball into a bigger problem.  If you do have perfect vision, a recent eye exam will strengthen your bragging rights.

Vision isn’t the only indicator of a problem

There’s a lot more to ocular health than how close you have to be to read a street sign.  During an eye exam, your optometrist will look for early warning signs of diseases like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts.  They will also asses overall eye health and offer relief for discomforts like dry eye and eye strain.  Some of these conditions are almost symptom free and cause irreversible vision loss if left untreated, but can be easily detected and treated through an eye exam before any permanent damage or vision changes occur.

It’s not all about your eyes

Your eyes provide a unique opportunity to see what’s going on inside your body, specifically your blood vessels.  Your optometrist can actually spot some serious health issues, like high cholesterol, thyroid problems, diabetes, blood pressure irregularities and cancer.

So how often should you be getting your eyes checked?  Adults aged 20-64 can typically get away with seeing the optometrist once every two years, unless your optometrist has requested to see you more often. 

If you’re ready to book your next eye exam, our two Ottawa Optometry clinics are both accepting new patients.  Click here for easy online booking at Wellington Vision Care in Hintonburg or Merivale Vision Care in Nepean.