Eye care is important at every age, and adults over age 65 should have exams twice per year. Elmquist Eye Group has the top rated family eye doctors in Fort Myers, Florida. We can fulfill eye care needs for the entire family.
Why eye exams are important
Prior to age 40, eyes generally are healthy. After that age, people begin to experience vision changes, some of which might be caused by eye diseases or other conditions. If your vision is deteriorating, don’t wait. Come see us. While this usually indicates you just need a stronger prescription for glasses or contact lenses, these changes can also signal age-related eye diseases. Why take the chance? Most eye diseases don’t have symptoms, but caught early, these conditions can be remedied.
If you experience any of these symptoms or changes, make an appointment with us:
- Flashing light
- Specks or floaters that you see
- Sudden decreased vision loss
- Double vision
- When diagnosed with diabetes
- Blurred visions
- Halos around lights
- Sharp pain in the eyes, redness, tearing or infection that does not go away
Adults who are diagnosed with diabetes should also come see us. We will work in conjunction with your primary care physician to formulate a plan for your eye health. Diabetes can create damage to the blood vessels in the eye, a condition called diabetic retinopathy. Adults over age 65 often experience cataracts that are interfering with vision. Cataracts are not a disease but a natural part of aging.
Our comprehensive vision exams can provide early detection of cataracts and rule out conditions like macular degeneration or glaucoma. For all of these reasons, our expert Elmquist team recommends at least two annual comprehensive eye exams for people age 30 and older. Eye exams twice per year are important after age 40, and after age 65, we may monitor your eye health more closely.
What you can do for your own eye health
There are many things you can do to take care of your eyes. First, know your family history for eye diseases. Quit smoking, maintain a healthy weight, and eat a diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Invest in a good pair of sunglasses to block out the UVA and UVB radiation from our hot Florida sun.
If you work on a computer screen for several hours per day, take a break every 20 minutes. Look away from the screen and focus on a faraway object for at least 20 seconds.
There is even a home vision test you can do each month. Cover one eye, and check the sight in that eye. Then cover the other eye and do the same. Small changes in vision often go unnoticed unless each eye is checked individually.
Of course, the best thing you can do is to have regular eye exams from the top rated family eye doctors in Fort Myers, Florida. If it’s been a while since you had an eye exam, give us a call today.