Press Release Summary = Regardless of your age or physical health, it is important for everyone to have regular eye exams.
Press Release Body = Regardless of your age or physical health, it is important for everyone to have regular eye exams. When an eye doctor examines your eyes, he or she is doing more than checking to see if you need glasses. During a complete eye exam, your eye doctor will not only determine your prescription for glasses or contacts, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.
Eye examinations are an important part of eye care health maintenance for everyone. Adults should have their eyes tested to keep their prescriptions current and to check for early signs of eye disease. For children, eye exams can play an important role in normal development. An important part of the examination is to check for glaucoma. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases in which damage to the nerve located in the back of the eye (optic nerve) results in loss of eyesight. At first, side (peripheral) vision is lost. If glaucoma is not treated, vision loss may continue, leading to total blindness over time.
Vision screenings are general eye tests that are meant to help identify people who are at risk for vision problems. These are the brief vision tests performed by the school nurse, the pediatrician or screeners in the workplace. The eye test that you take when you get your driver\'s license renewed is another example of a vision screening.
Comprehensive eye examination is performed by an eye doctor and will involve careful testing of all aspects of your vision. Based upon the results of your exam, the eye doctor will then recommend a treatment plan for your individual needs. Remember, only an eye doctor can provide a comprehensive eye exam. Most family physicians and pediatricians are not fully trained to do this, and studies have shown that they can miss important vision problems that require treatment.