Look in the mirror. You’ve got one pair of eyes. They’re pretty special, aren’t they? Your teeth get cleaned. Your car gets an oil change. Your hair gets a trim. Maybe you even indulge in pedicures or other spa-like pampering. But how often do you think of your eyes unless something goes wrong? If you’re like most Americans, not often enough.

Make no mistake: a simple thing that’s good for your eyes – a complete exam, each and every year – is about a lot more than getting glasses or contacts. Even if you don’t need vision correction, you need that yearly exam.

Dr. Kurt DeVito, O.D., from Norfolk Virginia, shares why:

“I’ve been providing eye exams for more than 12 years now,” he says. “During that time, I’ve diagnosed four different tumors and several cases of diabetes in patients who didn’t even know they had a health problem!”

Maybe you’ve heard of or received an eye screening. It’s not the same as a complete exam. Says Dr. DeVito: “Screenings are partial, limited eye evaluations that take place outside an eye doctor’s office. Typically, a nurse at school performs a screening or a pediatrician in their office. Maybe even a clerk giving motorists a vision test for a driver’s license.

“There’s no doubt that screenings can be helpful at times in detecting some problems with vision, but I encourage patients to have a thorough eye exam in an optometrist’s or ophthalmologist’s office,” he continues. “The doctor can take an entire eyecare history and patients can take advantage of the doctor’s diagnostic and treatment tools.”

Here’s a quick run-down of what you can expect from a complete eye exam:

• The classic visual acuity tests. Assessment of the need for prescription lenses to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
• Eye health check-up. The doctor will look for clues of eye diseases and conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.
• Working order. The doctor will verify your eyes are a good team and working in harmony. Plus, he or she will evaluate your eyes as part of your overall health.

“In recent years, I’ve had several situations in which I detected the presence of blood in the back of the eye, which is one of the first signs of diabetes,” says Dr. DeVito. “Those patients first learned they had a serious health condition during a routine eye exam in my office. I think that’s a great example of how worthwhile an annual eye exam can be.”

Source: VSP