Just because you don’t wear glasses or contact lenses doesn’t mean you can skip your annual vision exam. If you’ve been putting off making an appointment, don’t wait. Eye exams are not only important for vision checks, they are also crucial to checking for underlying eye diseases. You’re fortunate to live in southwest Florida because you are close to Elmquist Eye Group, the best Fort Myers eye doctors around.
Signs You Might Need an Eye Exam
If you’ve been experiencing any of these issues, these are signals that it is time to come in for a comprehensive eye exam:
- Can’t remember when you had your last eye exam (if you can’t remember, it’s been too long)
- Red, itchy or dry eyes
- Eye strain, blurred vision or headaches when doing computer work
- Seeing spots, floaters or flashes of light
- Difficulty with night driving
- Dizziness or motion sickness when trying to follow a moving target with your eyes
- Squinting to read or holding a book further away to read
- Noticing any change in your vision
- Having an underlying health condition like diabetes
About Our Comprehensive Eye Exam
Elmquist physicians perform a comprehensive annual eye exam to detect changes in your eyes that may be causing the above symptoms. Most eye diseases don’t have symptoms in the early stages, and the only way to detect these conditions is through the eye exam. Sadly, by the time a person notices a vision change, the disease may be in the advanced stages.
Millions of Americans suffer from eye diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration. Near 25 million US adults have cataracts a number expected to grow to 50 million by 2050 as the population continues to age and live longer. With annual eye exams, we can monitor and assess your cataract progression and tell you when it is time for surgery.
Many other health issues are often first detected in an eye exam because the retina and blood vessels of the eye often are the first to show signs of damage from diabetes and other diseases. Diabetes for instance definitely affects the eye’s tiny blood vessels, and the resulting condition, called diabetic retinopathy, is often first seen by the eye doctor, sometimes even before the patient ever knows he or she has diabetes.
We also perform a vision exam, and can correct all types of refractive error – nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism – with an eyeglass or contact prescription.
It’s Time To Call
For all of these reasons, our Elmquist physicians recommend that adults age 18 to 60 have an eye exam at least every two years. If you’re over 60, we recommend an annual eye exam. So if it’s been a while since your last eye exam, it’s time to call Elmquist Eye Group, the best Fort Myers eye doctors. We’ve been treating southwest Florida eyes for decades and we want you to be our next patient. Give us a ring or schedule an online appointment today.