Not Quite 40? You Can Still Get A Comprehensive Eye Exam Today
If you're a few years away from turning 40, you might wait until then to get a comprehensive eye exam. Although it may be okay to wait until you're 40 years of age to see an eye doctor, you may wish to do it sooner. Some health problems can affect your vision now instead of later, including high blood sugar. If you have any of the following health conditions or risk factors, get a comprehensive eye exam today.
High Blood Sugar
If you recently learned that you have diabetes or another condition that causes high blood sugar, get a comprehensive eye exam soon. Having a higher than normal blood sugar level places you at risk for retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts. Some of the vision problems you may be at risk for can occur suddenly, or they can gradually destroy the blood vessels and lenses in your eyes. Unless an optometrist examines your eyes thoroughly, many of these eye conditions can go undetected until it's too late to stop them.
If an optometrist suspects you have one of the conditions above, they'll check the retinas and lenses in each eye for swelling, cloudiness, or inflammation. If an optometrist discovers anything out of the ordinary with your retinas or lenses, they'll:
- schedule you for a follow up eye test
- prescribe you vision aids and/or medications
- look into eye corrective eye surgery
There's one more important reason to see an optometrist before you turn 40 years of age — you'll want to see an eye specialist if you suffer from pupil problems.
Pupil Problems
If your pupils don't respond normally to any type of light condition, then you need to have a doctor examine your eyes. When exposed to low lighting, your pupils should expand in size, or dilate. When there's too much light in your environment, your pupils react to the bright conditions by getting smaller, or constricting. However, some adults' pupils don't dilate or constrict properly, even when exposed to the right lighting conditions.
Pupil problems can occur in people who have brain or eye injuries. Problems may also occur in individuals who have to take medications for their bladder and bowels, such as anti-diarrhea treatments. Your pupils may also behave abnormally if you suffer from migraines, cluster headaches, and other discomforts of the head.
The treatment for pupil problems can vary, but some eye doctors may use eyeglasses and other aids to improve their patients' vision. An optometrist will tell you more about their preferred treatments after your exam.
For more details on why it's important to see an eye doctor before you turn 40, contact an optometrist soon.
Share