Why You Need To Get Eye Exams Even With 20/20 Vision
Quite a lot of people believe that having passed an eye exam with 20/20 vision, they do not have to retake eye tests; this is entirely wrong. Eye health is not to be taken lightly for several reasons irrespective of the results of your last eye exams. The vision or eyesight, due to a lot of factors, can change over time without you noticing because some diseases, even those that can cause blindness, may not have noticeable symptoms. The only way to prevent further damages is by taking an eye test.
Even if wear contacts or glasses, it is important to visit an optometrist for eye exams regularly. Below are some of the reason you need to get eye exams even with 20/20 vision:
1. Detect Glaucoma
Glaucoma, especially the open-angle glaucoma, is one of the eye diseases that only an optometrist can diagnose. It can cause loss of vision anytime but can be treated when discovered at an early stage.
2. Discover Macular Degeneration
This is another dangerous disease that causes blindness and is responsible for vision loss of over 10 million Americans who are age 65 years and above. Even with 20/20 vision, you may not see macular degeneration coming except you get eye exams, which can result in early diagnosis for appropriate treatment.
Related Article: What are the Benefits of Having Children Eye Exams
3. Discover High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure has been found to be one of the issues with the retina that can lead to negative effects on your vision. You may not be visiting your primary doctor for check-ups but your eye doctor can discover that you have hypertension, which can affect your vision if left untreated soon.
4. Diagnose Diabetes
Eye doctors usually watch out for signs of diabetes by examining the blood vessels of the eye. Diabetes does not show clear symptoms but can result in different health issues such as loss of vision and diabetic retinopathy. If you had 20/20 vision the last time, eye exams could help to detect signs of diabetes.
5. If You Have Not Had Eye Exams in 2 Years
If it has been over two years that you had eye exams last, you should visit your optometrist as soon as possible. Even if you have 20/20 vision, it is recommended that you have eye exams every two years. And if you are age 40 and above, you need to go for eye exams more frequently because the vision changes rapidly after the age of 40.
Do not rely on 20/20 vision as a confirmation that you do not have eye problems, go to optometrists regularly to get eye exams to get treatment for any existing issues and prevent eye health-damaging problems in the future.