The importance of eye exams cannot be overstated. For our patients in Virginia, eye exams can detect eye diseases and even some medical conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Eye exams offer a way for our eye care team to assess the function and health of the eyes. Both children and adults should undergo routine comprehensive eye examinations. Often a patient will not realize that their vision has declined until undergoing a routine eye examination.
Many children never realize that their vision is not “normal” until receiving prescription eyeglasses. It is common for children to start to perform poorly in school because of declining vision. Undetected vision flaws can dramatically affect the lives of children. Upon treating the vision flaws affecting their vision, patients are able to fully see what is around them, which often results in a vast improvement in their schoolwork.
Importance of Eye Exams: Evaluation
During your comprehensive eye exam, we are able to detect worsening vision flaws and many conditions that may affect vision. Because there are many eye conditions that can negatively affect your vision and may become worse over time, eye exams are especially important. Our team will evaluate the health and function of your eyes and look for eye conditions that can affect your vision, including:
- Refractive error myopia: Commonly referred to as nearsightedness, myopia is the most common refractive error. Patients with myopia can see objects that are close clearly, but objects in the distance appear blurry.
- Refractive error hyperopia: Patients with hyperopia, commonly referred to as farsightedness, can see objects in the distance clearly, but cannot focus on objects that are close by.
- Refractive error astigmatism: Astigmatism causes blurred vision due to the shape of the cornea or the curvature of the lens inside the eye being irregular.
- Amblyopia: More commonly referred to as lazy eye, amblyopia occurs in infancy or early childhood. If left untreated, lazy eye can cause severe visual disability to the affected eye, and may lead to legal blindness.
- Strabismus: Defined by crossed or turned eyes, strabismus is a failure of the two eyes to maintain proper alignment. Simply stated, the two eyes do not work together.
- Focusing problems: Focusing problems can range from incompletely developed focusing skills in children to age-related declines in focusing ability in adults, such as presbyopia.
- Eye teaming problems: Sometimes the eyes do not work together properly as a team even when the eyes appear to be properly aligned, such as binocular vision.
- Eye diseases: In the early stages of many eye diseases, patients experience no symptoms. Early detection and treatment of eye diseases may reduce the risk of permanent vision loss. Glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy are two common eye diseases that have no symptoms in their beginning stages.
- Diseases: We may be able to detect some early signs of diseases by looking at the blood vessels, retina, and other areas of the eyes.
Schedule an Laser Vision exam today
To learn more about the importance of eye exams, please contact Laser Eye Centers today.
