Vision - Seeing is not necessarily believing

Wrong! Seeing well is not an indication of healthy eyes! Many diseases of the eyes do not present with any visual symptoms. And by the time symptoms do present, the disease is often too advanced for treatment. Here are five good reasons to get your eyes examined, even if you are seeing well!

1. Glaucoma

is one example of a silent cause of blindness. Vision stays normal and there is no pain. So waiting for symptoms for your eyes to be examined really isn’t recommended since glaucoma is the single most preventable cause of blindness when treated early. Your comprehensive vision examination should include a test that measures the pressure within your eyes. Newest technologies also measure corneal thickness to evaluate your “true-pressure.” Additional testing may include a check of your field of vision and laser imaging of the nerve fiber layers surrounding the optic nerve head to check for early signs of nerve damage. Laser scans are said to detect glaucoma as much as 10 years sooner than previously available testing methods.

2. Diabetic retinopathy

is another eye disease that does not present with symptoms initially. Anyone with diabetes, whether it is type 1 or type 2, is at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. In fact the National Eye Institute urges all diabetics to have dilated eye examinations at least once per year. Women who are diabetic and pregnant are urged to have dilated eye exams during each trimester of their pregnancy. With timely treatment, 90 percent of those with diabetic retinopathy can be saved from going blind. Preventing it from occurring is closely tied to keeping blood sugar levels in check.

3. Macular degeneration

often called AMD or ARMD (age-related macular degeneration), is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in Americans aged 65 and older. Because older people represent an increasingly larger percentage of the general population, vision loss from macular degeneration is a growing problem. AMD occurs with the degeneration of macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read and drive. Initially patients may be unaware that they are suffering from AMD; eventually they may experience decreased vision centrally.

A recent study estimated that 1.75 million US residents had advanced age-related macular degeneration with associated vision loss, with that number expected to grow to almost 3 million by 2020. Vitamins containing A, C, E and lutein have been shown to prevent or slow down AMD in almost 25 percent of patients studied. (ARED’s formula multi-vitamins)

4. Cataracts

start out small at first and have little effect on your vision. You may notice that your vision is a little blurred, like looking through a cloudy glass or viewing an impressionist painting. Cataracts can make light from the sun or a lamp seem too bright or glaring. Or you may find that when you drive at night the oncoming headlights cause more glare than before. Colors may seem dull.

The type of cataracts you have will affect exactly which symptoms you experience and how soon they will occur.

Cataracts are classified as one of three types:

•A cortical cataract, which forms

in the lens cortex, gradually

extends its spokes from the

outside of the lens to the center.

Many diabetics develop cortical

cataracts.

• A nuclear cataract is most

commonly seen as it forms. This

cataract forms in the nucleus, the

center of the lens, and is due to

natural aging changes within

the eye.

•A subcapsular cataract begins at

the back of the lens. People with

diabetes, high farsightedness,

retinitis pigmentosa or those

patients taking high doses of

steroids are at risk of developing

subcapsular cataracts

5. Keratoconus.

Often appearing in the teens or early twenties, keratoconus is a progressive eye disease in which the normally round cornea thins and begins to bulge into a cone-like shape. This cone shape deflects light as it enters the eye on its way to the light-sensitive retina, causing distorted vision. Keratoconus can occur in one or both eyes.

Keratoconus can be difficult to detect because it usually develops so slowly. However, in some cases it may proceed rapidly. As the cornea becomes more irregular in shape, it causes progressive and irregular astigmatism to develop, creating additional problems with distorted and blurred vision. Glare and light sensitivity also may be noticed. Keratoconic patients often have prescription changes every time they visit their eye doctor. It’s not unusual to have a delayed diagnosis of keratoconus if the practitioner is not familiar with the early-stage symptoms of the disease.

In the mildest form of keratoconus, eyeglasses or soft contact lenses may help. But as the disease progresses and the cornea thins and becomes increasingly more irregular in shape, glasses or soft contacts no longer provide adequate vision correction.

Treatments for moderate and advanced keratoconus include:

Gas permeable contact lenses: If eyeglasses or soft contact lenses cannot control keratoconus, then rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses are usually the preferred treatment. Their rigid lens material enables RGP lenses to vault over the cornea, replacing the cornea’s irregular shape with a smooth, uniform refracting surface to improve vision.

But RGP contact lenses can be less comfortable to wear than a soft lens. Also, fitting contact lenses on a keratoconic cornea is challenging and time-consuming. You can expect frequent return visits to fine-tune the fit and the prescription, especially if the keratoconus continues to progress.

So while it’s great that you’re seeing well, don’t neglect yearly visits to your eye doctor for a complete medical vision examination!