When’s a good time to go for an eye exam? How about right now? Consider this: 250,000 Canadians are walking around with glaucoma this very moment. And half of them, 125,000 people, don’t even know they have it. These people are losing vision, but won’t figure it out until it’s too late to recover what they’ve lost.
Glaucoma isn’t the only disease that can be present in your eyes without symptoms. You can also have AMD (age-related macular degeneration), the leading cause of significant vision loss in Canadians over 50, without being aware of it. Other eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy can progress rapidly if left untreated for long. It’s a risky business, eye disease, and the consequences can be devastating.
Your best defense? A regular eye exam. Just as your body needs a routine physical exam, your eyes most definitely need a regular check-up too.
How Often Should I Go?
There is no single recommended frequency for eye exams. The ideal frequency varies from person to person, based on your risk factors. You have a higher risk of developing vision loss if you
Are over 50
Have a family history of eye disease, or an existing eye condition
Have light-coloured eyes and skin
Are diabetic
Are overweight or in poor physical health
Smoke cigarettes
If you don’t think you have risk factors, it doesn’t mean you are off the hook for eye exams though. People of any age, and in perfectly good health, develop eye disease too. Look at it this way: it certainly can’t hurt if you err on the side of going more frequently.
So consult your eye doctor to determine what frequency is best for you.
Don’t Forget a Self-Exam
In addition to your regular eye exams, there is also a great AMD self-exam you can do at home, called the Amsler Grid.
The Amsler Grid can be used by anyone, but it is particularly good for people over 50 or with other risk factors for AMD (if you fall into this category, consider doing the test on a daily basis). It’s fast, it’s free, and it might just save you from developing wet AMD, which can progresses quickly. You can learn how to use the grid and print out a copy from CNIB’s website.