An optometrist is an eye care professional who provides services related to the eyes or vision. Also, an optometrist examines the internal and external structure of the eyes to diagnose eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal disorders. Optometrists also examine diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
Other services that they provide are eye exams, evaluate binocular vision; assess various diseases that affect the eyes like high blood pressure, cancer, and thyroid conditions. Additional services are writing prescriptions for eyeglasses and contact lenses, and providing pre/post-op-care for cataract surgery and retinal surgery.
Eye and vision problems that optometrists encounter are glaucoma, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, Conjunctivitis, and eye allergies. Other vision problems that optometrist encounter are sty, Eyelid Cyst, Floaters, Crossed Eyes, Farsightedness, and nearsightedness.
Some of the benefits of seeing an optometrist every year are catching eye problems before they escalate, save money on treating out-of-control eye problems, increase productivity, detecting other health problems like some cancers and high blood pressure and save your sight. Tips on finding the best optometrist are getting referrals from your family, friends, co-workers or your primary care doctor.
It is also essential to research the optometrist credentials, consider the optometrist’s experience, find one with whom you feel comfortable talking to, review online patient satisfaction surveys, and know what your insurance covers. There are several things you and I can do to protect our eyes, such as find out if you are at higher risk for eye diseases.
If you or anyone in your family suffers from high blood pressure or diabetes, you could be more at risk for specific eye diseases. Other things you can do have a regular yearly physical exam to check for diabetes and high blood pressure, look for warning signs of change in your vision, such as double vision and exercise often.
Additional things you can do are protecting your eyes from harmful UV light, eating a healthy and balanced diet, having an annual eye exam, not smoking, and wearing safety glasses when working with tools, power tools, or if you are active in sports.
Signs that you need to see an optometrist are your eyes are red, dry, and itchy; you see floaters, you have diabetes or have high blood pressure. Other signs are you can’t remember when you had an eye exam, you have difficulty driving at night, and you are experiencing eye strain, or blurred vision.
Other signs are you get motion sick or dizzy when trying to follow a moving target, or you hold books or other reading materials far away from your face or close one eye to read them. Another sign is thatyou have been noticing changes in your vision, especially if you have recently experienced head trauma.
To conclude, an optometrist is an eye care professional who provides a service related to the eyes or vision. Talk to an optometrist and find out more. With the benefits of annual eyecare, it just makes sense to take care of your eyes.
