Your eyes can be very important indicators of potential diseases that may be present in your body. Having regular eye exams are not only a good idea to keep your eyes and vision healthy, your optometrist can also detect other problems you may not have noticed before. In fact, there are more than 30 different conditions that show symptoms in your eyes. 

Eye doctors and optometrists are usually the first to spot certain problems and advise you to seek further medical diagnosis. A recent study of 120,000 patients done by the insurance company VSP Vision Care showed that an eye exam was the first to indicate 34% of diabetes cases, 39% of high blood pressure cases, and 62% of high cholesterol cases. 

If you have been avoiding getting regular eye exams because you think your vision is fine, it’s time to rethink how you view eye exams. Here are a few reasons why you need to call your optometrist to set up your eye exam and get on a schedule to get them regularly.

Can spot early diabetes

If you have red spots in your eyes, this could be a sign of diabetes. When your blood sugar builds up too high, blood vessels will begin to block and swell up, which can burst into tiny blood vessels that travel to your retina. If this isn’t treated soon enough, it may lead to impaired vision or even blindness. 

Causes of bloodshot, swollen, red, or dry eyes

If you are susceptible to swollen, red, dry, or bloodshot eyes, your optometrist will be able to determine what the root cause is. If you have bloodshot eyes, it could be caused from coughing, or it could be a fungal infection or pinkeye. 

If you get itchy, swollen, and red eyes, you may have allergies that are triggered by dust, pollen or pet hair. Although eye drops can help ease the pain, some types could end up drying out your eyes and worsen the problem. Seeing your optometrist when you usually get your allergies is a great idea because they can recommend better ways of solving your problems. 

Overexposure to computer screens is one of the main culprits for dry eyes, but some medications can also cause your eyes to dry out. Dry eyes can sometimes be triggered if you take sleeping pills, pain medication, or anti-anxiety medicine.

Blurry vision

If you notice that your vision is becoming more blurry, seeing your optometrist is essential if you want to fix that problem. Blurry vision can be caused by a long list of eye conditions that you need to get checked out as soon as possible. Letting blurry vision go untreated can be dangerous if you drive a lot or use heavy machinery, and more importantly, it can end up leaving you blind.

Visit your trusted eye doctors in Langley at BC Vision Care to set up an eye exam appointment to make sure your eyes and body are healthy. Remember to get regular eye exams to ensure your vision is good and to detect any medical issues you may not know about!