No matter your age, you need eye care throughout your lifetime. If you’re lucky enough to live in southwest Florida, eye care at Elmquist Eye Group is the best in the area. We have convenient Fort Myers and Cape Coral locations and have been providing the best care to Florida families for over 25 years.
Maintaining your eye health
The best advice our expert doctors can give is an important monthly self care eye test. Cover one eye with your hand and determine how good your vision is in the other eye. Because you use your eyes as a pair, you will often not notice any vision changes unless you examine your eyes individually. If you experience a significant change, come see us today so we can give you a thorough vision exam.
It is important to know your family’s eye health history and whether any eye diseases run in the family. If you have conditions like diabetes, regular eye exams are very important. There’s so much you can do yourself to maintain eye health, such as eating a diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants and maintaining a healthy weight. If you smoke, quit and invest in a pair of good quality sunglasses to protect your eyes from our intense Florida sun.
Take a break
These days, most of us work long hours staring at a computer screen, especially during the COVID pandemic. Your eyes can definitely suffer from screen fatigue, so take breaks every 20 minutes. We recommend looking away from your screen to focus on an object that is a few feet away. Do this for at least 20 seconds. When staring at a computer screen, people tend to open their eyes wider, so the eyes dry out much more easily. Remember to blink, and be sure to lubricate your eyes often, using artificial tear drops.
When to see a doctor
If you experience lasting symptoms such as eye redness or irritation that doesn’t go away when using eye drops, it is time to come see us at Elmquist. If you have any of the following symptoms, make an appointment to come see us right away:
- Flashing light or halos around lights
- Tiny specks that float in the air (floaters)
- A sudden vision loss or sharp decrease in vision
- Double vision
- Sharp pain in one or both eyes
Many eye diseases go undetected in the early stages, so regular eye exams are very important, regardless of whether you have symptoms. Leaving these issues undetected can cause your eyes harm in the long run.
At Elmquist, we have optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians. Optometrists and ophthalmologists are both eye doctors. Optometrists have a doctor of optometry (D.O) degree and they provide regular vision care and corrective prescriptions.
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who treats and diagnoses eye diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration. Opticians are not eye doctors; they do not provide eye exams, but they help fill the prescription for your eyeglasses or contact lenses, and deal with any adjustments that are needed.
At different times in life, you will likely need one of these eye care professionals. In Southwest Florida, you can trust the experienced team of ophthalmologists, ophthalmic surgeons and opticians for eye care at Elmquist Eye Group. Come see us in Cape Coral or Fort Myers. Schedule your appointment today.