30 Aug VISION SCREENING VS. FULL EYE EXAMS
“Your eyes are the windows to your soul.”- Unknown
Although the origins of this statement are unknown, there is a lot of truth behind it. Your eyes can be the windows to your overall health. With proper eye exams, life threatening health issues like high blood pressure, certain cardio vascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes and brain and eye tumors can be detected.
WHY YOU NEED A COMPLETE EYE EXAM
There is a difference between a Vision Screening and an Eye Exam. As many eye conditions can go without detection due to having painless symptoms vision screenings can often miss certain problems. A full eye exam shows the overall health of the eye, and allows the optometrist to fully diagnose any issues.
VISION SCREENINGS
Vision screenings are relatively short. They are generally only used to detect problems and not diagnose them. Just as if your car broke down on the side of the road, you will not fully know what the issue is until a licensed mechanic takes apart the engine and looks to see what the problem could be, despite what the tow truck driver presumed it could be from just looking at it.
Since a vision screening does not look at the overall health of your eyes, it is important to not solely rely on it. This is why vision screenings are not to be a replacement of a full eye exam, merely just a first step.
WHAT THE EYE DOCTOR LOOKS FOR IN A FULL EYE EXAM
When visiting the Optometrist it is important to provide them with all health information. Some questions your Optometrist will ask include but are not limited to:
- Family health history, as well as your overall health
- A list of medication you are currently taking
- They will inquire about any activities that could affect your health (smoking, alcohol, etc.)
- Previous Vision History
Providing this information allows for your optometrist to get a full understanding of what the best treatment option may be for you. As well, it will give your eye care professional an idea of what they need to pay special attention to during the physical exam.
COMPONENTS OF AN EYE EXAM
Some of us tend to take for granted clear vision, and this is why it is important to continue to care for such an essential part of the human body. This is also why it is important to thoroughly get your eyes checked out by an eye care professional, especially since some diagnoses can go undetected due to little or no symptoms.
WHAT YOU WILL ENCOUNTER DURING A FULL EYE EXAM:
- An External Examination of your eye
- An Internal Examination of your eye
- A Fluid Pressure Test of your eye
- A Refraction Test to determined whether or not your will need corrective lenses
- A Visual Field Test to test your peripheral vision
IS VISION SCREENING A NECESSITY?
A vision screening is a great first step to understanding your eye health. However, it is always highly recommended to have a screening followed up with a full eye examination. Or there is the option to completely replace the vision screening with a full eye examination, as everything is covered from the vision screening within the complete eye exam.
CONCLUSION
It is important to fully inform your eye care professional on any issues you may be experiencing or have experienced in the past, as this gives them clues on what they may have to look for. Completing a full eye exam in addition to or in replace of a vision screening will help to diagnoses any eye problem at an early stage, and allow for the optometrist to take the correct action towards treatment. As eyes are an essential body part to living your every day life it is important to notify and not ignore any eye symptoms you may be having.
Book a full Eye Exam with Dr.D’Orio and Associates Eyecare today, to stay on top of your overall eye health!
