Eye exams may catch a condition you may not know you have

June 24, 2010

Many individuals may not get an annual eye exam because they feel their vision is fine. If there are no symptoms or issues with their eyes they tend to forgo the tests, but that may be detrimental to their eye health down the road, TechCombo.com reports.

"Many eye diseases have no early warning signs," Dr Janine Austin Clayton, deputy director of NIH's Office of Research on Women's Health, told the news source. "You may not notice anything. So it's critical to have your eyes examined on a regular basis."

Getting a regular eye exam may provide the doctor with information on your overall health. Often, a doctor may notice changes in the eye that indicate the development of conditions like diabetes or glaucoma.

Individuals may ignore signs like their peripheral vision becoming less acute, which may point to the development of glaucoma. As the condition worsens it becomes harder to treat and the likelihood of regaining eyesight is reduced.

According to the National Eye Institute, more than 11 million Americans are affected by uncorrected refractive errors in their eyes.