By Henrylito D. Tacio
(Second of Two Parts)
“By undergoing regular eye check-ups, you will know whether you are at risk for certain eye problems,” says Dr. Maria Imelda Yap-Veloso, an ophthalmologist at the Asian Eye Institute in Makati City. “You will also be advised by your doctor what you should avoid and how often you should come for check-ups based on your eye findings.”
More than your eyes, there are other health problems – which are sometimes serious – eye doctors can spot. The eye provides a doctor a clear view of blood vessels, so an eye exam can tell a lot about a person’s general health. “Our eyes are amazing – they offer a unique view into the human body,” Dr. John Lahr, medical director with EyeMed Vision Care was quoted as saying.
With regular eye exams, serious health problems can be caught earlier and while they are still treatable. Through standard ophthalmic tests, the following can be detected: hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, lupus, leukemia and certain neurological conditions.
One week ago, Evangeline consulted an eye specialist for sudden onset of double vision. She had good eyesight before it happened; she never had any previous medical problems also.
The doctor who examined her noticed mild drooping of her right upper lid and restricted movement of her right eyeball. Doctor’s diagnosis: nerve palsy in her right eye. But what caused it? The magnetic resonance imaging of her brain revealed it was normal. However, her blood test showed that she was suffering from diabetes. The doctor then referred the patient to an endocrinologist.
“The key to surviving many serious health conditions is early detection,” says the website, theeyespros.com. “By the time you start noticing symptoms and finally go to the doctor, there may be complications that are difficult or impossible to fix.”
Oftentimes, people won’t notice any symptoms while vision problems are still in the early stages. But through an eye exam, eye doctors can still detect these problems that vision tests miss.
“But vision problems aren’t the only eye problems to worry about,” the website says. “There are worse ones, like cataracts and glaucoma. Aside from noticing symptoms, eye exams are the only way to notice these.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the top three causes of visual impairment in the Philippines are uncorrected refractive errors, cataract, and glaucoma. On the other hand, the top three causes of blindness are cataract, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.
Prevention is better than cure, health experts claim. And complications can be arrested only if the problem is identified first through eye exams. “An eye exam involves a series of tests to evaluate your vision and check for eye diseases,” the Mayo Clinic states. “Your eye doctor may use a variety of instruments, shine bright lights directly at your eyes and request that you look through an array of lenses. Each test during an eye exam evaluates a different aspect of your vision or eye health.”
Associate Professor Chee Soon Phaik, senior consultant ophthalmologist at the Singapore National Eye Center, suggests eye examinations should start after birth, at 3-4 years old, on entering school and yearly until 16 years old. “This is mainly to detect congenital problems, squints and refractive errors so that they can be addressed early,” he says.
The frequency at which those 40 years old and above should see an eye doctor is at least every one to two years. People who wear glasses or contact lenses and take medications that have serious eye side effects should have their eyes checked more often. Ditto for people who are high-risk (those with a family history of glaucoma, retinal detachments or blindness, or those suffering from hypertension).
In general, people who are healthy and have no symptoms of vision problems can have their eyes checked on this schedule: every 5-10 years for 20s and 30s, every 2-4 years from 40 to 54, every 1-3 years from 55 to 64, and every 1-2 years after age 65.
“At the end of your eye exam, you and your doctor will discuss the results of all testing, including an assessment of your vision, your risk of eye disease and preventive measures you can take to protect your eyesight,” the Mayo Clinic says.
Normal results from an eye exam include: 20/20 vision, good peripheral vision, ability to distinguish various colors, normal-appearing structures of the external eye, and absence of cataract, glaucoma or retinal disorders such as macular degeneration.
Actually, eye check-ups are very important so that treatment, if there are problems, can be done immediately. “Early diagnosis leads to early treatment and prevention of eye complications which may be permanent,” says Dr. Yap-Veloso.
According to her, there are early signs in certain eye diseases that may be picked up by your eye doctor through regular eye examinations. “However, in terms of patients experiencing symptoms due to eye problems, they should remember that some eye diseases are basically without symptoms,” she reminds. “Permanent visual changes may result before the patient may actually notice something.”
“The eye governs a very significant sense – the sense of sight – our windows to the world and our windows to life,” Dr. Yap-Veloso reminds. “Taking good care of this special sense should take a more active participation on our part.” – ###
google.com, pub-4264550707369682, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0
