8 Signs It’s Time to Get Your Eyes Tested

8 Signs It’s Time to Get Your Eyes Tested

Eyesight is something most people take for granted until it’s too late. Make it your mission to keep your eyes as healthy as possible by regularly visiting your eye doctor. Not sure when you should go? Other than once a year, book an eye exam if you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms. Changes in Night Vision It’s common for the first sign of your eye health dwindling as an adult is when you start having difficulty seeing at night, especially while driving. This can be extremely dangerous if left untreated, for both you and other drivers. Seeing halos around light sources, having trouble recognizing objects at night or are unable to read signs are warnings that you need to talk to your optometrist, now. Health Conditions Certain health conditions can affect the way your eyes feel and function. Diseases like diabetes, lupus and other conditions can affect your eye’s functionality. Even your nutritional habits and sleep patterns can affect your eye health. Mention any conditions to your doctor during an exam. An Eye Infection Sitting through an eye exam gives the optometrist an opportunity to identify changes in your vision while checking your overall eye health. Some eye infections can clear up on their own. However, many can be contagious and lead to permanent eye damage if left untreated. Schedule an appointment right away if you experience itchy or red eyes, discharge or any other uncomfortable sensations. Constant Headaches Several things can cause headaches and migraines, but these conditions can also be a warning sign that something is wrong with your vision. An increase in headache frequency...

Glaucoma: Avoid Irreversible Vision Loss

The other day, I was having lunch with a friend who had just gotten her yearly eye exam at her local optometrist. Besides her expected nearsightedness and some trouble with dry eyes, her eye doctor did not have much to tell her, but that didn’t stop her from worrying over her husband. He refuses to have an eye exam, and he’s in his mid-forties. My friend asked me if she was worrying for no reason; after all, her husband’s vision has seemed to be fine for years. My response to my friend was the inspiration for this blog: hadn’t he ever heard of glaucoma, the leading worldwide cause of irreversible vision loss? Keep reading to learn about this “silent thief of eyesight” and how regular eye exams can prevent it from stealing your vision. What is glaucoma? As briefly discussed in a previous blog post, glaucoma describes a group of conditions that cause damage to the optic nerve, which is a paired nerve connected to both eyeballs and responsible for relaying images from the retina to the brain. Without a properly-functioning optic nerve, these images cannot reach the brain, but how does damage to the optic nerve occur? The optic nerve is made up of millions of delicate nerve fibers; when these fibers are damaged, it will have a negative effect on your vision. Some experience a loss of peripheral vision followed by progressive darkness while others develop blind spots from the damaged nerve fibers. How these fibers get damaged is not fully understood at this point, but we do know that both high eye pressure and low blood...
Signs That Your Child May Need Glasses Part 2

Signs That Your Child May Need Glasses Part 2

As a parent, it’s important to keep an eye out for things your child may not recognize or be thinking about, especially when it comes to his or her vision and eye health. Whereas adults who have worn corrective lenses for years can recognize their own vision problems, kids may not even realize they can’t see as clearly as their peers. Does your child struggle in school because he or she can’t see the board? Does he or she often have to squint to see things more clearly? We fully discuss these two signs in part one on this topic. Keep reading for two more signs that your child may need corrective lenses. Signs That Your Child May Need Glasses Frequent Headaches If your child has headaches quite often, he or she may be suffering the ill effects of undetected nearsightedness (also called myopia; closer objects appear clear while distant objects appear blurry). When a child is nearsighted, he or she will often try to exert more effort to clear up the blurry vision. This compensation can cause headaches, usually in the frontal or brow areas find out. Tilting the Head Besides nearsightedness, your child could also be contending with double vision (diplopia). If you notice that he or she often tilts his or her head to the side, this could be because tilting the head can minimize double vision to be more manageable. Be sure to check out part one if you haven’t already, and keep an eye out for these signs to keep your child’s eyes healthy. Do you suspect your child may have a vision problem?...