Three Reasons to Get Your Annual Eye Exam

For people that aren't already wearing glasses or contact lenses, and don't notice any problems with their vision, there is no reason to get your eyes checked-right?WRONG! The list is long, but here are just three reasons you should get your eyes checked every year, whether you think you have a vision problem or not.

#1 You may actually need glasses. How do you know that you are seeing what you are supposed to see? I, myself didn't realize I could be seeing any clearer until I had my eyes checked (and I only had them checked because I was working for an optometrist, and we were bored one day). Do you have headaches? Does your child struggle with reading and schoolwork? When you get done with a long day of staring at computer screens, do your eyes feel tired and overworked? Do you have trouble driving at night? Are you seeing halos around lights?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, an eye exam should be in your near future. Though you may not need to wear glasses all the time, you may be someone that needs them for night driving, or for schoolwork, or to help relax your eyes while staring at a computer screen all day.

#2 Early detection of eye diseases. There are eye diseases that can creep up on you, and by the time you have noticed the symptoms, you have lost vision that you cannot get back. With glaucoma, for instance, you start to lose your peripheral vision first. It may take you a long time to realize that you can't see things off on the outskirts of your vision like you used to...and by then, you have already lost vision. Eye exams are not just for glasses, they are to help prevent blindness.

#3 Your Eyes are a Window into the health of your entire body. From my time working for an optometrist, I can remember times that an optometrist discovered that their patient was having, or had recently had a stroke. I can remember times that we sent a patient to be checked for diabetes, based on symptoms we discovered in the eyes. Hypertension and diabetes both can present themselves in the eyes.

A comprehensive eye exam should be part of your efforts to stay healthy, just like your annual physical. Whether you need correction or not, your eye health is important. Get your eyes checked every year by a private, comprehensive optometrist (preferably not at Wal-Mart, Costco, Lenscrafters etc).

If you don't have a vision plan, then go to KeepYourEyesCovered.com and check out the best vision plans available.