A large part of proper eye care and pediatric eye care is taking preventative measures. Curing a disease or injury may seem like the more impressive side of medicine, but in actuality the kind of preventative care you can take is the best kind of eye care there is. Being mindful of how you treat your eyes in your day-to-day life and making the time to let a professional examine your eyes regularly are vital strategies for protecting your vision, your quality of life, and saving your money.
A large part of proper eye care and pediatric eye care is taking preventative measures. Curing a disease or injury may seem like the more impressive side of medicine, but in actuality the kind of preventative care you can take is the best kind of eye care there is. Being mindful of how you treat your eyes in your day-to-day life and making the time to let a professional examine your eyes regularly are vital strategies for protecting your vision, your quality of life, and saving your money.
Routine Checkups Can Catch Glaucoma Before Blindness Occurs
When it comes to slowing down the progression of glaucoma, early detection is key. While it is not curable, glaucoma is treatable, so it is extremely unfortunate that it is one of the leading causes of blindness. Over 2.7 million Americans over the age of 40 suffer from glaucoma – and that isn’t the most staggering statistic about the disease. About half of those who suffer from glaucoma do not even know they have it.
So how can early detection slow the progression of glaucoma? First, you need to understand a little about what glaucoma is.
When fluid builds up in the front portion of your eye, this increases the pressure within the organ and puts strain upon the optic nerve steadily damaging it. As you can imagine, once the optic nerve has been sufficiently damaged, blindness is irreversible. The difficulty with glaucoma is that it normally does not present any symptoms until it is too late. It silently steals visions. This early detection is crucial. By going in for routine check-ups and having an ophthalmologist check the pressure in your eyes you can find out early if you have glaucoma and start taking eye drops, medication, or even undergo surgery to reverse the effects.
Keeping Your Eyes Healthy Is a Habit Best Started Young
When people think of preventative eye care, they often think of the elderly. It makes sense considering vision issues are traditionally associated with the elderly. But this is a misleading idea. In fact, good eye care habits start young with pediatric eye care. Teaching your children to be proactive about their eye health sets them up with good eye care habits in adulthood.
Routine eye checks up mean that if your child has vision issues it will be addressed with corrective lenses before its impacts their learning or ability to participate in school activities. Moreover, if you put going in for an eye exam on the same level as going in for a yearly physical, the importance of routine visits will be ingrained through your practice of pediatric eye care. Instilling these habits will also allow your eye doctor to catch other potential issues such as complications due to diabetes or even issues like cataracts or glaucoma later in life.
Routine Check-Ups (Including Early Pediatric Eye Care) Promotes Proactive Eye Health
Many common eye care problems are more inconvenient than they are deadly when you think about the sophisticated methods that have been developed to address them. Cataracts, glaucoma, and in some cases refractive errors can all be corrected if detected early. Additionally, regularly visiting your eye doctor allows patients to feel more comfortable about discussing treatment options. When your information about procedures like LASIK or laser cataract surgery are coming from a professional instead of friends or the internet, you can make more informed choices about your eye health that do not stem from fear or misinformation.
A dedicated eye care professional at Vision First Eye Center is waiting to chat with you. Drop by, schedule online, or give us a call to book an appointment at our Alabaster, Birmingham, Trussville, or Pell City locations and become proactive about your eye health today!
