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3 reasons why you need an eye exam yearly

3/9/2022

( For the full blog post, please go to drjenwademan.com )

If you don’t need contacts or glasses, chances are you may be wondering why you need an eye exam every year. Seeing a clear 20/20 is just part of a comprehensive eye exam; the battery of screening tests check for a variety of conditions, while the eye health exam offers an extensive look inside and around some of the most important parts to your eyes. The comprehensive eye exam is necessary to ensure healthy eyes and vision.
Here are 3 reasons why:

Family history. Some family traditions are welcomed into our lives while other family traditions can be very unwanted. When certain eye diseases present in our family history, it can increase the risk of developing the disease ourselves. In fact, family history can say a lot about our eye health; for example, a family history of glaucoma can translate to being 4 to 9 times more likely to develop the eye disease. Family history is an important piece of information about your eye health. It gives your optometrist insight into preventative steps to minimize your risk and manage your care to protect your sight in the short and longterm.
Overall systemic health. High blood pressure, Auto-immune disorders and diabetes can can play a significant role in your eye health and potentially cause vision loss. Diabetes (diabetic retinopathy) is the most frequent cause of blindness in adults by permanently damaging the blood vessels in the back of the eye. These conditions can often be detected at your comprehensive eye exam, before diagnosed by your primary care physician and before symptoms present. Your comprehensive eye exam involves a direct look at the blood vessels inside your eyes-no other place in the body allows for such a direct unaided view.
To monitor eye health. To put it plain and simple: you don’t know what is changing or not, if no one is looking. Is your eye pressures slowly elevating, which could indicate risks for glaucoma, or even a brain tumor? Is your vision changing because of your contact lens prescription or because you have an underlying corneal issue that could be detrimental to your vision? Not all eye conditions present with symptoms, meaning you may not know you have a problem because you don’t feel or see anything.

Comprehensive eye exams allow for the opportunity for an extensive check-up that often connects overall systemic health and family history to eye health and vision. Scheduling you're yearly eye exam means taking preventative steps to ensure minimal risk and optimal eye health in the short and longterm.

Author

Jen Wademan, O.D.

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Your Cheat Sheet to Fix Red Eyes.

3/1/2022

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Red eyes or bloodshot eyes are frequently not a welcomed sight. “How to Get Rid of Red Eyes” yields about 260 million results when searched online. So suffice to say, it can be an unwanted sign that could potentially convey something you don’t intend to convey to those around you.
So why do red eyes occur? Red eyes most often are a response from irritation or infection. Irritation can happen in the form of dryness (whether chronic or acute), allergies or exposure to harsh chemicals (smoke or chlorine). Red eyes from infection can occur from different germs inadvertently encountered, whether bacterial or viral. Regardless of the cause, if you’re like most people, you just want those red eyes back to white, no questions asked. So here is your cheat sheet to ridding the redness.

Use Artificial tears. Artificial tears provide lubrication to the front surface of the eye. When your natural tears are not pulling their own weight, artificial tears can be a comfortable and soothing addition. Artificial tears come in a lot of different formulations; case in point, the artificial tear aisle at the drugstore is an endless array of options. Stick to preservative-free options that can be used as needed, throughout the day.
Take breaks from your computer. Find yourself endlessly staring at a computer screen all day then topping it off with additional hours scrolling? You blink less when staring and scrolling on a screen for hours at a time. Less blinking limits the amount of tears that coat and moisturize the front surface of the eyes, leading to dry and red eyes. Use the 20-20-20 rule to take visual breaks (which also reminds you to blink). The 20-20-20 rule states that every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds and look 20 feet away. The added bonus of the 20-20-20 rule: helps limit eyestrain too.
Use a humidifier. If it’s hot and dry where you live, the air conditioning may be running a lot. That nice cool vent may keep your temperature optimal indoors but when it directly blasts down on you, it can cause irritation to your eyes, causing dryness. Ceiling fans are another culprit, circling dry air, which can cause evaporative issues for eye moisture. A humidifier provides more moisture in the air which helps your eyes to retain more moisture too.
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Repeat. Hydration plays an important role throughout the entire body, so it goes to show that water intake is important for your eyes too. Need help remembering to up your water intake? Me too. Time-marked water bottles provide a gentle reminder if you need to up your water game for the day or pat your self on the back for your water goals. Check out this time-marked water bottle.
Use a cold compress. Or if you’re feeling fancy, cold cucumber slices anyone? A cold compress (or sliced cucumber) works by constricting those tiny blood vessels in the eyes, resulting in less redness. Use a cold compress mask for 7-10 minutes a day to help relieve redness and the added bonus: reduce eyelid puffiness.
Check your medications. Antihistamines and cold meds are the usual suspects in causing red eyes. With ingredients that work to dry-up sinuses, they also can dry-up those eyes. Take stock if you pop that antihistamine and those red eyes also pop.
Talk to your Optometrist about your symptoms. Are you noticing other symptoms? Light sensitivity? Discharge? Pain? Those are symptoms you don’t want to ignore and could indicate other issues that need immediate attention by your eye care provider.

And if you haven’t seen your optometrist in a while (which is considered greater than a year), schedule an eye exam to discuss any concerns you may have with your eyes, including chronic redness. Your personality should be your defining characteristic, not your red eyes!

Author

Dr. Jen Wademan, Optometrist and owner of Bidwell Optometry. www.drjenwademan.com
Passionate about preventative eye health, Dr. Wademan enjoys connecting with patients on a genuine level and educating patients to enrich their lives.

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