Many people feel they don’t need to see an eye doctor if they don’t seem to have anything wrong with their eyes. This is incorrect. You need to see an eye doctor as often as you see your dentist or your regular physician. Your eye doctor will be the first person to spot any abnormalities or issues that can develop into real problems. Many diseases of the eyes such as macular degeneration don’t present early symptoms until damage is already done. But they can be spotted early, before symptoms appear, by the eye professional. Plus, eye doctors can spot other conditions not even related to your sight. For instance, your eye doctor can spot early signs of high cholesterol.
High blood pressure is another common disorder that your eye doctor can see by doing an examination of your eyes. Many people don’t even know they have high blood pressure. Unless you have a reason to check it, it doesn’t get checked. Hypertension causes high blood pressure. Your eye care specialist can see small silver or copper colored hues in the retinal arteries revealing the disorder. This is a condition that should be treated as soon as possible because it can cause blood vessels to harden, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Diabetes is a disease that can be discovered by examining the eyes, as well. This disease causes a high level of sugar in the blood, which gradually damages the retinal blood vessels. They become weak and this can cause blindness when the patient suffers from severe diabetes or the condition is left untreated. The eye doctor spots diabetes by looking for leakage from blood vessels in the eyes.
Another common disorder that you can be diagnosed with by your eye doctor is simple allergies. It’s obvious when allergies are in full swing, but your eye doctor can spot them before they really develop through swollen blood vessels in your eyes.
Regular visits to your eye doctor are far more than checking your current vision number, 20/20, 20/50, or whatever. These visits are critical for diagnosing a variety of health problems that go far beyond vision.