Consider how much of your daily routine depends on clear vision. From checking emails on your smartphone to watching the road as you drive your children to school, your eyes play a vital role in your day-to-day life. Patients often ask us why it is important for adults and children to have annual eye exams and Oshkosh, WI. Here’s why.
Healthy eye development in children
The primary reason we recommend annual exams for our younger patients is to monitor the development of their eyes. Unless you have concerns about your child’s vision, we recommend that kids start coming in for yearly exams beginning when they’re four years old. Identifying issues with your children’s eyes early on helps prevent more pronounced vision impairment problems later in life.
Blue light exposure
Another reason why it is important for adults and children to have annual eye exams and Oshkosh, WI is due to the amount of time you and your kids spend in front of screens. All of us are guilty of spending too much time glued to screens, whether it’s phones, tablets, televisions or computer monitors.
Overexposure to blue light can negatively impact your ocular health. The most common issue we see with too much blue light exposure is digital eye strain. Symptoms of this condition include blurry vision, headaches and eye fatigue. We increasingly see digital eye strain cases in children who spend too much time video gaming without giving their eyes a break from the blue light. Both adults and children need to take a break from their screens after 20 minutes.
Adult eye exams
As you age, your eyes may experience any number of conditions or diseases. When you visit your optometrist annually, it’s much easier to catch these issues early and address them. While an optometric appointment includes vision testing, we also examine your eyes for signs of systemic disease, cancer and eye disease.
Systemic diseases differ from those that only effect the eye because they impact your overall health and wellness. The eyes are the only part of the human body where we can actually see nerves and blood vessels. Your optometrist discusses any medications you currently take, then looks at your eyes for signs of high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, neurological conditions and other diseases during your annual eye exam.
Of course, we also look for symptoms of eye diseases. These range from persistent dry eyes to glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts. The only way to diagnose conditions that damage your vision is with annual eye exams. So many patients who forgo their annual appointments end up battling eye diseases that have considerably progressed over a relatively short period, as little as two or three years.
Now that you know why it is important for adults and children to have annual eye exams and Oshkosh, WI, schedule an appointment at Dr. Jill’s Optical Shoppe. We see adult and children patients in our office on Oshkosh’s historic Main Street. Get in touch with us today to book eye exam appointments for you and your kids!