The Eye Exam - Why Is It So Important?

It’s one of the 5 senses and one of the most precious too! Sight! Despite optometrists like Zain Jivraj believing that “your eyes are your windows to the world,” many people often neglect proper care for their eyes and fail to understand that routine eye exams are critical to maintain proper vision. Read the blog below to learn the importance of eye exams.

We have all seen the classic eye chart, usually in the doctor’s office or when we desperately need to pass an eye exam when renewing our driver’s license. But for some reason many people neglect or put off seeing an optometrist even though our vision is critical to our daily life.

What is the importance of eye exams?

Simply put, eye exams are essential for staying on top of possible eye diseases and catching any onset problems that will decrease vision. It is important to diagnose a potential eye problem in its early stages before it is no longer treatable. People tend to forget that other medical issues such as Hypertension (high blood pressure) and Type 2 diabetes can cause vision loss. On the flip side, an eye exam can uncover the medical issues mentioned above.

Routine Exam

It is critical that the utmost attention be paid to the care of your eyes. To maintain healthy sight a routine eye exam includes assessing the following:

• External & Internal examinations of your eyes
• Measure vision quality, eye movement, coordination, sharpness & range of peripheral vision
• Checking the ability of the eyes to adjust focus
• Ability to see colours
• Measuring depth perception
• Determining if a patient needs glasses, contact lenses or medication
• Recommending surgery when necessary

Optometrist Visits

If your eyes have any kind of redness, floaters, or any kind of vision disturbance it is important to book an appointment with an optometrist. Even if you feel your eyes feel fine there is a guideline to regular visits:

• Infants
  • Should have an examination at 6 months.
• Preschoolers
  • Recommended eyes exams at age 3 & 5
• School Age Children
  • Ideally annually and at max every 2 years.
• Adults
  • Every 2-3 years
• Seniors
  • Annually after age 65

Bottom Line

The gift of sight is truly a gift from the Gods and should not be neglected! If the last time you saw the eye chart was at the registries and you think they’ve added the dollar symbol to one of the lines…. It’s time to visit Sunridge Eye Clinic and fast!

Contact Us Today

To schedule an appointment or to simply find out more about the optometry services we offer in Calgary, contact us today at 403.280.7518 or use our online contact form below.