The 3 biggest mistakes when it comes to your eye health.

Skipping your yearly comprehensive eye exam just because you see fine.

20/20 vision doesn’t always mean perfect eye health. Changes to eye health can sometimes occur before vision is affected. If there are changes to certain structures in the eye, a comprehensive eye exam may be the only way to identify risks and prevent changes that could compromise vision. Changes in the structures in the eye can lend to changes in the function of those structures. Case in point, changes to the Meibomian Glands (oil glands that help combine with the tears to keep proper balance) can play a role in inflammation, lead to chronic conditions like blepharitis, dry eyes and infection. Other examples include the pressure in the eyes, called intraocular pressure. A steady rise in eye pressure can increase one’s risk for glaucoma or even indicate lesions or tumors in the brain. Each component of the eye exam examines these different structures and how they function in the eye.

I often divide the comprehensive eye exam into 3 main components: the screening (or pretest), the vision check for glasses or contacts and the eye health evaluation. The screening portion often encompasses eye history, systemic history and family history alongside the quick battery of tests that are aimed at screening for a variety of eye and vision problems. Eye pressures are taken, central and peripheral vision is assessed, measurements of the front part of the eye-curvature and overall prescription measurements-nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism are objectively measured. The vision check, often with the Doctor, is the refinement and subjective measurement of refractive error, binocular vision (how the eyes are working together) at distance and near. The eye health evaluation looks at everything around, on the front, and in the back of the eye. If you haven’t guessed it by now, a lot is assessed at your comprehensive eye exam; one of the reasons its differentiated as a comprehensive evaluation and not a screening. Find a Doctor of Optometry near you here.

Ignoring symptoms.

You can fill in the blank here:

“Ignoring symptoms” of _______ .

Insert: redness, blurriness, floaters, swelling, light sensitivity.

These symptoms can be underlying issue of a larger problem. With most things, the earlier you address the root cause, the sooner the symptoms lessen or resolve. While some symptoms can indicate a treatable and temporary issue, other symptoms can trigger major changes to vision, eye health and even overall health. Painless temporary vision loss in one eye could indicate an underlying cardiovascular condition or an emergency episode ahead. The wait-and-see-approach, which means you wait until you notice a problem before you see your provider, can be a major gamble. The gamble could mean vision doesn’t improve and symptoms don’t get better. This could mean permanent vision loss. Because vision is easily one of the most important senses, it makes sense to air on the side of caution and address symptoms sooner rather than later.

Not taking care of your overall health.

Ignoring overall health can also mean introducing eye-related problems. A multitude of vision and eye health changes can stem from underlying systemic conditions. Diabetes is a perfect example of this. Fluctuating blood glucose can cause fluctuations in vision (sometimes the first sign that there is a problem or imbalance). But left unattended, high blood glucose can lead to changes in the back of the eye, eventually leading to vision loss. If attended to early enough and controlled with proper management, vision loss can be avoided. Mental health also encompasses overall physical health. Did you know stress, anxiety and lack of sleep can introduce a variety of eye-related conditions? Some can be minor annoyances but others can cause vision changes. For example, that annoying eyelid twitch is a direct result of stress. But stress can induce distortion and changes to vision, affecting structures in the back of the eye. Auto-immune conditions and cardiovascular conditions can also behave in similar manners when it comes to vision and eye health, causing changes to certain structures in the eye.

The good news is that this list is correctable; the fix is easy and involves scheduling a comprehensive eye exam, paying more attention to when things just don’t feel right and putting in a little effort for overall health and wellness.

Keep those eyes happy and healthy!

Dr. Jen Wademan