William Shakespeare once said, “The eyes are the window to your soul.” Those eyes that let you watch your kids play ball, see the Eiffel Tower, read the beautiful words of a novel, or to see the precise detail in building clocks. Those eyes that show a person’s emotional state when a smile, whether real or fake, just won’t do.
But did you know that your eyes can, also, tell your ophthalmologist a lot about your health? Besides cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration changes, the eyes can tell your ophthalmologist about underlying health issues such as: diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, or impending stroke.
The frequency of eye exams is based on visual abnormalities or developing visual abnormalities. It can also be based on medical history, family history, age, and race. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that an adult should have a dilated eye exam at age forty if they have never received one before. For asymptomatic individuals, who are between the ages of 40-54, it’s recommended to have a dilated eye exam every two to four years. Individuals between the ages of 55-64, the recommended interval of a dilated eye exam is every one to three years. Individuals 65 years of age or older, a dilated eye exam is recommended every one to two years, even if the individual is not experiencing any symptoms. For symptomatic individuals, the frequency of exams depends on the severity, the response to treatment or surgery, or detecting progression of the visual abnormality.
Once you have been worked up by one of our certified technicians, Dr Burns will give you a thorough eye exam. He will share his findings and recommendations with you. He will discuss treatment options with you, if any, and based on his findings, he will tell you when you should return to the office for a follow up or dilated exam.
The eyes may be the window to your soul, but they are also the window to your health. So, take care of them so you can see the world around you. You only get one pair.
Recent Comments