It is truly incredible how much information can be gathered about your health from a simple eye examination.
The NHS currently recommends that adults have their eyes tested every two years, or more frequently if you meet any of the following criteria: you are a child with glasses, you have diabetes, you are an adult aged 40 or over with a family history of glaucoma, or if you are aged seventy or over.
It is concerning that some people decide to visit an optician only when they start to notice a problem with their vision or develop obvious eye symptoms. This means that an insidious condition such as glaucoma can go undetected for years, potentially causing irreversible visual loss and damage to the eye due to increased pressure that, if identified earlier, could have been prevented.
There are many opticians available on the high street, all of whom can directly refer to ophthalmologists like myself when they identify abnormal changes in the eye. I consider that opticians are our eyes in the community.
Health Conditions
There are numerous medical conditions, not just ophthalmological in origin, that can be identified by observing changes within and around the eye during a routine examination.
A qualified optician will note any abnormalities, and refer to an ophthalmologist for further assessment, diagnosis, and management.
Your GP may also be notified to initiate further investigation if there are concerns noted that may indicate chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. In other instances, you may be referred to see another specialist such as an endocrinologist, a rheumatologist, or a neurosurgeon.
In addition to the diseases already mentioned, other conditions that can be identified during a routine eye examination include thyroid problems, inflammatory/autoimmune disorders, metabolic diseases, a brain tumour, cancers such as melanoma, or metastases in or around the eye. Early signs of dementia can also be spotted on routine eye examination.
Timely diagnosis for these conditions can help improve their prognosis, so it is vital that they are detected early.
Regular eye examinations
The message is clear.
It is not just your vision that could be saved. If you haven’t had an eye test in the last two years, then my advice is to please book one.