Why you need to do eye check-up

When she went to the eye clinic to check her glasses and maybe get a new lens, the entire story took another twist when the optometrist flashed a specialized touch light on her eye. “You have a growth on your eyes and if you don’t remove it fast, you will become blind,” the optometrist announced. […]

When she went to the eye clinic to check her glasses and maybe get a new lens, the entire story took another twist when the optometrist flashed a specialized touch light on her eye. “You have a growth on your eyes and if you don’t remove it fast, you will become blind,” the optometrist announced. This sent jitters into Madam Nwakego’s spine.

“To remove this growth,” the optometrist continues, “you need to do a minor surgery that will not last more than ten minutes,” she assured Madam Nwakaego.  Though Madam Nwakaego could not get her glasses that day, because she was told to do the surgery first, she was happy that a growth that could lead to her blindness was discovered. She was referred to another hospital where there was a consultant ophthalmologist to carry out the surgery.

According to the American Optometric Association, even if you have perfect vision it’s still a good idea to have your eyes examined every two years if you’re under 60 and annually if you’re over. That’s because there are a number of diseases without symptoms, which can be identified during an eye examination. And at least one of these, which can cause blindness, can only be found by an ophthalmologist.

Dr. Magdalene Ajani, Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist at the State House Medical Centre Aso-Rock agrees with this, saying “for every adult, we recommend a check in the eyes every two years. If there is family history of glaucoma, you do eye check once every year. But if you have glaucoma or macular degeneration, your visit to the doctor becomes more regular,”Ajani says.

Having a yearly eye exam will not only help you to see better, but more importantly, will ensure that you will keep seeing for years to come. A good eye exam doesn’t just check your glasses or your lens prescription, but also checks the overall health of your eyes.

What you may not realize is that the eye’s health can sometimes give clues into problems with your overall systemic health. This is simply because a dilated eye exam can detect many systemic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and other diseases. You may wonder how this is possible. Experts say your eyes are an extension of your brain, sharing many of the same arteries, veins and nerves. The eye is also one of the only places that you can see blood vessels and nerves from the outside looking in. The abnormal appearance of the retina and its blood vessels and nerves may reveal some major health changes in your body.

Our vision is the first sense that we have to develop to adult-like levels, and it is usually done developing by the age of 12. If a child has a weak eye and we do not catch it early during the critical time of development, that eye can remain the weak eye for the rest of his or her life. This is because if an eye develops to a blurry image, it will never have had the chance to see the 20/20 clarity necessary to develop the 20/20 vision cells in the brain. Once the blueprints for our vision are drawn during early childhood, we do not have a chance to go back and fix it. It is estimated that up to 80 percent of what a child learns comes from vision. So, one of the most important things to do for your children before they start school is to have their eyes examined.

Regular eye tests are important, because your eyes don’t usually hurt you when something is wrong.

The key to all eye disease is early detection, because with detection, there can be prevention of vision loss.

A sight test will show if you need to get glasses for the first time or change your current glasses. A sight test is also a vital health check for your eyes. It can pick up early signs of conditions that can affect the eyes before you’re aware of any symptoms, including diabetes, macular degenaration and glaucoma.

Many eye conditions can be treated if found early enough. This was the case of Madam Nwakaego as few weeks later, the eye surgery was done and the growth which could have made her blind was removed.