May 2024 Newsletter

The Health Exam You Didn’t Know You Needed

If you’re like most Americans surveyed in a recent Harris Poll, you probably thought you would notice a change in your vision if you had an eye disease. The fact is some of the leading causes of blindness—such as glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy—can begin without any symptoms. That’s why The Eye Centers of Northwest Ohio and the American Academy of Ophthalmology urge all healthy adults to get an eye exam at age 40, even if their vision seems fine. Early signs of disease and changes in vision may start to happen at this age.

Need more motivation to have your eyes examined? Here are four good reasons to see an eye doctor:

1. Your brain adapts to vision loss, making some eye diseases go unnoticed until it is too late. Once vision is lost, it cannot be restored. Eye Doctors can spot eye disease before vision is compromised and protect your sight.

2. Seeing an eye doctor can improve not just your eye health, but your overall health. Because the blood vessels and nerves in your eye are reflective of the rest of your body, eye doctors are sometimes the first to diagnose diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or vitamin deficiencies.

3. Your eye health is dependent on different factors, including family history, ethnicity, age, and overall health. An eye doctor can help evaluate your personal risk factors and recommend the best steps for disease prevention.

4. Eye disease is also a looming problem for the U.S. healthcare system. As our population ages, the number of people afflicted with vision loss is expected to double by 2050.

Are You At Risk Of Vision Loss?

Did you know that certain groups have a higher risk of eye problems than others? If so, you're a step ahead of most adults.

If you're in a high-risk group, make sure to get regular eye exams so that your doctor can catch disease early.

About one-third of Americans develop some form of vision-reducing eye disease by age 65. But you might be surprised to know that vision loss is not always part of growing older.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your eyes as you age.

Protecting Sight, Empowering Lives

Eye Doctors can diagnose eye diseases earlier and treat them more effectively than ever before. But these advances are meaningless for patients with undiagnosed disease. Nor can they help patients who remain unaware of the seriousness of their disease.

It's important to get help before it's too late. Far too often, eye doctors witness the consequences of patients entering their office too late to avoid severe vision loss.