Is it really that important to have a routine eye exam? What if you just passed a vision screening at work or school — do you still need an eye exam?
What is the difference between a vision screening and an eye exam? Vision screenings are not comprehensive exams. They are usually not performed by trained eye professionals. They are designed to only detect visual acuity that is worse than 20/40. They don’t detect subtle vision problems or potentially damaging eye diseases.
Eye exams are done by licensed eye professionals. The eye exam consists of checking your visual acuity, correcting any refractive error to get you the best possible 20/20 vision, and checking your eyes from front to the back, including checking for early signs of severe eye problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration, detached retinas, and glaucoma.
With a dilated eye exam, an optometrist can detect damage caused by vascular diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. The exam can also help detect any damage on the optic nerve or retina caused by neurological or autoimmune diseases like MS or Lupus.
Even if you have had corrective eye surgery like LASIK, it is still important to get routine eye exams to check the back of the eyes for diseases and to check the retina, especially for those who had higher nearsighted prescriptions. Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye which causes the retina to separate from the rest of the eye and can potentially lead to permanent loss of vision.
Has it been a while since you got your eyes checked by an optometrist? At Integrity Eye Associates, we pride ourselves in offering superior eye care available for the entire family. To make an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam at our office in Wayne, Pa please call 484-580-8873 or visit www.integrityeyes.com.