Top 5 Reasons to Have an Eye Exam

1. To Ensure 20/20 Eyesight

Your prescription needs to be checked on a regular basis to make sure your visual acuity is the best it can be. Annoying headaches or general fatigue are often caused by slight over or under corrections of your prescription. In addition, if you spend more than two hours on a computer each day, you may develop a condition known as Computer Vision Syndrome, or CVS.

Symptoms of CVS include headaches, focusing difficulties, burning eyes, tired eyes, eyestrain, aching eyes, dry eyes, double vision, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and neck and shoulder pain. CVS is treated with eyeglasses made for computer users.

2. To Detect Eye Disease

Many serious eye diseases often have no symptoms. Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes vision loss. It is known as the "sneak thief of sight." Conditions such as cataracts or macular degeneration develop so gradually that you may not even realize your vision has decreased. Diabetic retinopathy, a condition that may develop in diabetic patients, can result in bleeding or retinal detachments. Early detection of these and other eye diseases is important for maintaining healthy vision.

3. To Diagnose Developmental Problems

Uncorrected vision problems in children often cause learning and reading difficulties or contribute to other medical problems such as dyslexia and ADD. Furthermore, uncorrected vision in children can often cause amblyopia (lazy eye) or strabismus (eye turn) which can cause permanent vision loss if not treated early in life.

4. To Reveal Hidden Diseases

The eyes function as a window to our bodies. Through dilated pupils, an eye doctor can reveal the presence of undiagnosed hypertension, multiple sclerosis, strokes, kidney problems, brain tumors and other general systemic conditions.

5. To Keep Current With Fashion

The primary reason for visiting your eye doctor should always be eye health, but there is nothing wrong with having a little fun. Frame styles change over time. Eye doctors strive to offer the latest fashions and name brand eye wear in their opticals. Also, lens-making technology continues to improve, as well as scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coatings. If you haven't updated your glasses in a while, you may be pleasantly surprised at the many options available today.