Routine Eye Exams in Colorado Springs, CO
Many people put off eye exams because they have “good vision,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have perfect eye health. Regular eye exams can help reduce your odds of blindness or low vision while staying on top of developing eye diseases like cataracts, glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy. The sooner you discover and address an eye condition, the more likely you will maintain healthy vision.
What is an Eye Exam?
Preventive optometry is the practice of eye and vision care to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases and conditions of the eye and visual system. An eye exam is a thorough exam done by an eye doctor to help identify possible vision problems and diagnose common eye diseases.
Why is Regular Vision Care Important?
Regular eye exams allow your eye doctor to monitor your vision and health over the long term, which can help detect signs of eye conditions before they impact your vision or lead to irreversible damage. This is especially important because most eye conditions have no symptoms or warning signs in their early stages, their effects are gradual, and vision changes are mostly unnoticeable.
For example, cataracts blur vision slowly, and patients often don’t realize how bad their vision is because their vision didn’t just get bad overnight, while the patient doesn’t generally notice glaucoma until late in the disease – when it’s more challenging to treat. Retinal disease is much easier to treat in its early stages.
Routine eye exams will help detect vision problems, such as:
- Eye strain
- Astigmatism
- Myopia (nearsightedness)
- Hyperopia (farsightedness)
- Macular degeneration
- Keratoconus
- Dry eyes
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic retinopathy
Eye exams don't just detect vision problems; they can also find signs of other systemic conditions because they appear first in the eye's tiny blood vessels. These include:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Thyroid disorder
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson's disease
- Heart disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
What Happens at a Routine Eye Exam?
Here's what you can expect at your eye exam at Evergreen Optometry:
- Test and evaluate your vision and check for diseases: Dr. Nolasco will perform several tests to assess your vision and check for diseases. This may include visual acuity, cover test, eye pressure test, eye focusing, stereopsis test (depth perception), retinoscopy, slit lamp exam, glaucoma test, pupil dilation or Optomap imaging, visual field test, and a refraction test.
- Contact lens evaluation if wanted: Dr. Nolasco can evaluate and update your prescription if you wear contact lenses. Because contact lenses are specially designed to fit your eye's unique curvature and size, it's important to obtain accurate measurements of your optical prescription, corneal shape, size, curvature, and even the quality of your tears. This ensures that your new contact lenses have the correct fit and prescription.
How Often Should You Have an Eye Exam?
Age, health, and a family history of vision problems may determine how often you need an eye exam. However, general guidelines recommend the following:
- Children: Kids aged three and below should get an eye exam to look for the most common childhood eye problems like lazy eyes, misaligned eyes, or cross eyes. They should get another comprehensive eye exam between ages 3-5 to look for vision and eye alignment issues. School age children should receive a routine eye exam once a year.
- Adults: Yearly routine eye exams are recommended.
Need an Eye Exam? Contact Us Today!
Regular eye exams are crucial in catching eye conditions early and preventing vision loss. If it has been a while since your last eye exam, contact us today to schedule an appointment at our Colorado Springs, CO, practice.