When is the Right Time to Consult an Eye Specialist?

‘You can tell everything from the eyes’ – Jeff Buckley Eyes express a gamut of emotions right from joy to sorrow. Also, they say a lot about your health than you can imagine. Apart from being connected to your brain for visual recognition, your eyes are connected to other vital organs of the body. Given how eyes are connected to different body parts, it is essential to get regular eye check-ups irrespective of your age or health status. For instance, Anmol, a young software engineer based out of New Delhi was surprised when his doctor asked him if he had a history of diabetes. “Being only 25 years old, I thought the doctor was crazy.” Further, he said, “However, I went for a blood sugar test and to my surprise, my doctor was right. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.” Through timely medication and adoption of a healthy lifestyle, Anmol was able to live a normal healthy life, but without the comprehensive eye check-up, Anmol wouldn’t have realized about diabetes and his health status could have gone worse.

Why Regular Eye Check-ups are Important?

Eyes say a lot about your health as they reflect the early signs of a variety of diseases including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, etc. Through regular eye exams, you can identify these problems at an early stage and take the necessary steps to avoid serious complications. In general, one comprehensive eye exam every year is considered important. There are people with certain conditions, who might require going for more than one eye check-up in a year, especially for those who are diabetic or over the age of 40. If you haven’t gone through an eye check-up in a while or you don’t consider it necessary, it is important to keep track of the signals that your body is giving. Following are some of the signs you should pay attention to and if these signs persist for a longer time, schedule a check-up accordingly:

• Constant Headache: If you experience constant headaches, then it’s a pretty good reason to visit your nearby eye specialist. A variety of eye problems trigger headaches, including serious issues such as glaucoma. Going through routine eye checkups can provide you with early information about major eye issues and complications. People working on computers for hours often complain about pressurized eyes which is also a reason for headaches, it’s always suggested to take off a few minutes away from the screen and relax your eyes after fixed intervals. Headaches can also happen because of problems like Digital Vision Syndrome or Computer Vision Syndrome. With an increase in using laptops, tablets, and mobiles, such eye issues are expected to take place.
• Eye Infection: Eyes could be allergic to a lot of things such as pollens, dust mites, pet dander, etc. that may soon get unbearable. Symptoms may include red itchy eyes, blurred vision, and eye secretion. So, if you develop these infections make sure you visit your eye doctor at the earliest.
• Vision Problems: You may come across vision problems such as double vision, halos around bright lights, eye strain, and increase in floaters, which could be a sign of some problem underneath your eyes. This could also be a sign of detached retina and it should be treated with utmost promptness. If the detached retina is left untreated, it may lead to loss of vision.
• Eye Pain: In today’s day and time, prolonged exposure to computers and mobile screens is a primary cause of eye pain. However, if the pain persists for too long, then you must visit a doctor. Mostly, it turns out to be a sign of dry eyes, which is curable with some prescribed medicines. However, this may also be caused due to some other reasons such as injury in the cornea, glaucoma or even be an early sign of eye cancer.
• Frequent Squinting: Squinting refers to squeezing your eyes in an attempt to focus on the blurred images in front of you. This reduces the extra light that the eye receives and decreases the size of the image to get a clear view. This temporary fix is not a sustainable way to deal with the issue of poor vision. This is a valid reason why you should get your eyes examined by an eye specialist who may suggest a pair of glasses or contact lens.
• Diabetes: If you have diabetes or it runs in your family, then you probably might have been suggested by your doctor to consult an eye specialist regularly. Diabetes is a catalyst to a lot of eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataract, and diabetic retinopathy. These diseases may cause severe damage to your vision, so it’s always best to look forward to your doctor regularly and keep any serious problems at bay.

Never ignore the signs that your eyes are giving. Several eye problems can recover with prompt diagnosis and medication. If any form of allergy goes on even after sometime then consult your doctor right away.