Valentin Bosioc
Our eyes may be one of the most critical organs. They provide one of our five senses, and it’s hard to live day by day without our eyes. Performing daily tasks may even seem impossible without your vision.
This is why you should take good care of your eyes and make sure they remain healthy. So when should you go to an eye doctor and get your vision and eyes checked? Almost everyone has a different opinion on when should one get an eye exam.
But there are symptoms that you should watch out for. These are signs that you should visit an optometrist or ophthalmologist soon.
Sudden Blurry Vision or Problems Focusing
If you are having problems focusing or your vision suddenly gets blurry, this may be a sign of a more severe issue with your health. You should take this seriously, as this can a symptom of diseases that can be prevented if found early.
Blurry vision and focusing problems include:
- Eye conditions and diseases
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Cataracts
- Cardiovascular and systemic diseases
- Age-related macular degeneration
If your blurry vision is limited to one eye or comes and goes, you should schedule an exam immediately.
Sudden Visual Disturbances LIke Floaters and Flashes
If you keep having visual disturbances in your vision, this might a sign of a disorder that is vision-threatening. These visual disturbances are:
- Floaters
- Obstruction of vision
- Flashes of light
If you experience any of these visual disturbances, you might be suffering from:
- Retinal detachment
- Retinal hole
- Retinal tear
Be sure to get checked by a doctor within 24 hours when you experience visual disturbances to minimize your chances of completely losing your vision.
Frequent Migraines
You may experience migraines because of outside factors, such as sitting in front of the computer screen for too long, poor lighting in your room, or from not moving for a period. However, if you experience a migraine frequently, this should raise your concern.
Migraines that might be affecting your eyesight:
- Retinal migraines
- Migraines with aura
Constant Eye Pain, Fatigue or Strain
People suffer from pain in their eyes from time to time; it isn’t usually a big problem and it comes and goes. However, if you keep experiencing this, and the pain lasts for more than a couple of days, you should get checked out.
Constant eye pain, fatigue, or strain may be a sign of:
- Eye infection
- Vision change
- Serious health
The Need to Squint if Things Seem Too Far Away
If you’re squinting every time you look at something may be a sign that you have to get an eye exam. The act of squinting is a way to help your eyes reduce light from entering it, and it’s a track that only seems to improve your vision.
Squinting may be a sign of:
- Nearsightedness
- Farsightedness
- Diabetes
- Mini-stroke
- Astigmatism
Sensitivity to Light
If you suddenly get sensitive to light, this might a sign that you should get checked by an eye doctor immediately. This could be an effect of a brain injury or concern. Conditions that may make you sensitive to light:
- Meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Eye Infections
You may feel itchiness, or the whites of your eyes may be turning pink. This may be a sign of an infection. Your medical doctor, optometrist or ophthalmologist can make the final call.
You may have an eye infection if you experience:
- Itchiness on your eyes
- Swelling of your eyelids
- Discoloration of the whites of your eyes
- Redness
- Yellow, green, or clear discharge
- Crusty lashes
General Difficulty Seeing Things
If you’re experiencing a general difficulty in seeing things, then your eyes are probably not as good as you think they are.
You have difficulties in seeing if you’re:
- In need to have too much light to see
- Need to put things a little bit nearer or farther to see them clearly
- Having difficulties on bumpy surfaces
- Need to go slowly on the stairs
- Tilting your head to focus on something
Unlike oral care, eye care does not require you to see a doctor annually or every six months. Usually, a comprehensive eye exam is done every two years to ensure that your eyes are healthy and your vision is pristine.
Stay on Top of Your Eye Health and Vision
If you have a health condition that may affect your view, you may need to have more regular eye exams. There are symptoms and signs that you should look out for if you’re due for a visit to an optometrist or ophthalmologist. And there are health issues that even a physician can’t diagnose immediately.
If you haven’t visited an eye doctor and had a check-up in the last two years, maybe you schedule for one now. An eye exam every two years can ensure that your eyes stay healthy. And if you’re over 40 years old, then you should consider getting checked as soon as possible.
So, get those twinkling eyes checked as soon as you can, do follow-up visits, get an annual eye exam, and always follow your doctor’s recommendations. Insurance such as optical coverage here might be able to help you with your eyesight woes as well.
Jessica Wilson
Jessica is a professional health expert who works for some major health industry giants. She currently writes for Membersown and is dedicated to helping people learn more about health related topics along the journey. When she’s not a health advocate, she enjoys some down time traveling or talking with family.
