Whether you are simply noticing a difference in your vision while wearing your glasses, perhaps suffering from an eye condition such as “dry eye”, looking for an updated eyeglasses frame, or it is time for your yearly eye exam — going to the eye doctor not only should be easy, but one where you were given the best service and patient care. Your eyes and vision should be considered priceless, so from investing time to have your eyes have a comprehensive exam with a licensed optometrists, to having a licensed and skilled optician talk about lens and frame options best for your needs and your prescription, to having the best materials used for your lenses to enhance the quality of your vision –your eye care is important and the value should be placed in keeping your eyes healthy and your vision clear for years to come. Let’s take a look at some of the valued services your eye doctor, opticians, and technicians provide when you step through the door to get an eye exam.
Education
One of the most valuable services your eye doctor can provide to you, is not what you may think. No, not a prescription — but in fact, education. Educating you about the health of your eyes, talking with you about your family’s health history and creating preventative care for you is crucial so you can not only see your best today, but for years to come. Keep in mind the value of your eye exam surpasses any quick “in and out” service you may receive from chain opticals. Working with independent doctors, like at Vision Source Specialists, we provide comprehensive exams for your benefit. What’s the difference? Comprehensive exams consist of many steps including a review of family and personal health history, evaluation of near and distance vision, and evaluation for near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and presbyopia. During comprehensive exams eye doctors also look for your eyes’ ability to work together as a team and examine the interior of your eyes through dial action to look for cataracts, macular degeneration, and diabetes. They will also conduct a pressure test to ensure you do not have the problems with your optic nerve, such as glaucoma.
Not only can going to the eye doctor help with eye conditions, but it can help with your overall health. According to CNN, “More proof that the eyes reflect overall health just arrived in the form of a study adding a disease to the list of what can be predicted by examining ‘the windows to the soul.’” During comprehensive eye examinations, eye doctors can notice if there are small changes in blood vessels in our eyes. This can help foretell if there will be significant memory loss for those over the age of 60. According to Dr. Bishop from the National Eye Institute, “The blood vessel supply is essential to all function, the function of all organs, and so if the blood vessels are unable to do their job, there’s no way that the brain can be functioning as well as a brain that has a good supply.” Other health related problems that can be detected from your eyes include: diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, thyroid disease, and more. Eye doctors like Dr. Jared Pearson and Dr. Dawn Wattenhofer can help their patients realize not only if they are having eye conditions but also potentially other medical ailments.
Upon diagnosis of any vision problems, eye conditions, or diseases doctors will then speak with you about treatments, preventative care for your eyes, and ways to maintain your vision or the health of your eye. Eye doctors should use the best and latest in technology for the health of your eyes and will develop plans of preventative actions regarding your family health history, your personal history, and any symptoms they note you may be experiencing. Vision Source Specialists work tirelessly to use only the latest in technology for our patients. For example we offer technology such as the iWellness scan or the Optomap, which both give quick and easy scans of your eye to provide a detailed report of the health of your eyes. From this doctors can diagnose various eye conditions and even provide preventative care. Seeing your eye doctor, should not be something taken lightly because without the proper care to your eyes, you run the risk of losing sight and potentially going blind.
Lenses and Frames Options
Maybe, you love your eye doctor but don’t see the point in buying glasses in a store because it seems too costly and you can purchase everything online nowadays. Think again. Picking the right frame for you, is more than what color looks best or how to flatter your personal style –but in fact, can be crucial to your prescription and your glasses working properly. Licensed and trained opticians, are able to guide you through choices for your frames and help you make choices on lenses to suit your needs. Perhaps your prescription would look better in a full frame made from plastic, because of how your prescription will “cut out” in the lens. Maybe you never knew that the thickest part of your lens is the center due to your prescription and need to find glasses that can support that thickness and showcase your style. Or perhaps you are constantly in and out, needing protection from harmful UV rays – transition lenses may be what you need. With so many options, and so many different possibilities to help you see the best out of your glasses, licensed opticians are able to help you make the best choices for your vision.
Adjustments and Measurements
Opticians are also able to not only help guide you through the process of finding glasses that meet your style, but also are functional, but they can adjust and fix glasses. Maintaining the proper shape of your glasses is not only imperative for the comfort and fit, but it is also crucial for the prescription placement for your eye. For those that wear bifocals or progressive lenses, also known as “no-line bifocals” even if your prescription is just a few millimeters off, you can lose reading ability, depth perception, and even distance vision. While proper adjustment is imperative, opticians, also have the ability to properly measure your glasses, pupil distance, and size of lenses, among other things to ensure that the prescription placement is correct in your frame. Without working with a trained optician, measuring your eyes can not only be near impossible, but easily errors can occur which will cause detriment to your vision.
Going to the eye doctor is more than just looking at a simple eye chart. Your eye doctors, their trained staff, and opticians bring much more to the table than a simple prescription. From knowledge on lenses, frames, adjustments, measurements, to crucial information with health, vision ability, using the latest technology to diagnosis and treat eye health problems, and preventative educational measurements – the list is endless all that happens during your 1 hour yearly eye exam. Education is the key in maintaining the health of your eyes and keeping your vision for many years to come, and with the combination of proper comprehensive eye exams from health professionals you will be able to see clearly for the rest of your life.
Have you realized that you need to book your yearly eye exam? Head on over to our online scheduling portal and schedule your appointment today with Vision Source Specialists. From our staff, to our doctors, to our use of the latest in eye care technology; you won’t be disappointed with your care from Vision Source Specialists.