Compelling Reasons to Book an Appointment With an Eye Doctor

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The eye is a complex organ requiring specialized knowledge and equipment. Seeing an expert eye doctor can help you prevent serious health issues like blindness and other conditions.

If you have concerns about your vision, you should book an appointment with an eye doctor, but many patients often ignore their symptoms. 

Detect and Treat Eye Diseases

The main goal of eye care is to detect eye diseases and treat them before they become serious. Diseases like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts can cause severe vision loss if not detected and treated early. People often only realize something is wrong with their eyes until they experience pain or vision changes.

However, many eye diseases don’t have any symptoms in their early stages. Only a comprehensive dilated eye exam performed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist can find eye diseases in their earliest stages when they can be easily treated to prevent vision loss. You should book an appointment with an experienced eye doctor in Ottawa for a comprehensive examination for preventive measures. This type of eye exam typically requires drops that make the pupil larger so the doctor can see inside the eye. There is no risk to your safety for this procedure. However, your vision may blur temporarily, and some eye exams, such as fluorescein angiography, retinal imaging, and optical coherence tomography, require you to lay still. 

Prevent Vision Loss

Many eye diseases can lead to vision loss if they are not detected early. For example, cataracts—a clouding of the eye lens that leads to a gradual decline in vision—have no symptoms in the earliest stages but can be picked up by a comprehensive dilated exam. Glaucoma—the second leading cause of blindness—also has no symptoms early but can be caught by a regular eye exam.

Your ophthalmologist is well-versed in looking for signs of health conditions affecting your eyes. For example, high blood pressure can affect your vision and can also be a sign of diabetes. Your ophthalmologist will be able to check your blood pressure during your appointment. A healthy diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens, can help prevent age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases. 

Prevent Blindness

Blindness is a huge issue for many people, but it can usually be prevented with consistent care. An eye doctor can help ensure you have a healthy lifestyle by providing tips on diet and activities that are good for your eyes. For example, eating lots of greens and reducing screen time can prevent dry eye, which is one cause of vision loss. Your eye doctor can also inform you about common diseases that could affect your vision. Most of these conditions have a genetic or hereditary component, and knowing your family history can give you a better idea of what to expect regarding vision problems. Your doctor will also help you understand the difference between a vision screening and an exam. 

Prevent Blindness in Children

Children should be screened for their eyes regularly, and those requiring referral should be seen by an eye care professional for a comprehensive eye examination. Blindness in children makes up a small proportion of the world’s total blindness. However, the majority of those who are blind have lost sight due to conditions that can be prevented or treated. Blindness in childhood is common in low-income countries, where infections, nutritional factors, and the consequences of premature birth are major causes. However, in industrialized countries, inherited genetic factors causing cataracts and retinal dystrophies are the main cause of blindness in children.