How Important is Eye Screening?

Our eyes are responsible for 80 per cent of all the information our brain receives. The brain works hand-in hand with our eyes to process the information we see and transform it into recognizable images. The clear whitish part of the eye called the lens helps to focus light on the retina. The ciliary muscle adjusts the shape of the lens, helping it to focus on objects at different distances. This automatic focusing is a reflex response and is not controlled by the brain. The human eye is a sensory organ part of the sensory nervous system that reacts to visible lights and allows humans to use visual information for various purposes including seeing things, keeping balance and maintaining rhythm. The eye can be considered as a living optical device. It is approximately spherical in shape, with its outer layers.

Through vision screenings they screen out individuals who have serious vision problems. Screenings can specify notable problems a person might have with specific visual tasks, such as seeing a chalkboard clearly in the classroom or recognizing road signs and familiar faces from behind the wheel. Only a comprehensive eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist can ensure your vision is as clear and comfortable as possible — and that you’re free from potentially serious eye diseases that don’t have obvious early symptoms, including glaucoma and even eye cancer.

COMMON EYE CONDITIONS

1 Eye disorders caused by irregularity in the shape of the eye. This makes it difficult for the eyes to focus images clearly, and vision can become blurred, impaired and disrupted.

2 Short sight (myopia) and long sight (hypermetropia) are common conditions, both caused by the cornea and lens not focusing properly on the retina. Short sight is where the eyeball is elongated or the lens is too thick, causing the image to focus in front of the retina. Long sight is where the eyeball is too short or the lens too thin, causing the image to focus behind the retina. Prescription glasses can help with both long and short sightedness

3 Catarracts are the leading cause of blindness. In this eye condition, the lens becomes cloudy or less transparent, blocking light from passing through to the retina and resulting in blurred vision that can progress to blindness. There are other sight-threatening eye conditions and eye diseases that are not so easily corrected, including glaucoma and river blindness all of which can cause blindness if left untreated.

The importance of taking eye exams

The importance of annual eye exams goes well beyond just making sure your vision isn’t blurry. As Coastal’s optometrist Justin Asgarpour says: “Eyes are a window to the body.”

1 Eye exams help children succeed in school.

80 percent of what children are expected to learn in and outside the classroom requires good vision? An annual eye exam is the only way to ensure your child is seeing clearly and comfortably to succeed in the classroom. It’s also the only way to know for sure if kids are seeing their best for sports and other activities, too.

Children who become nearsighted or mayopic very early in life tend to experience a worsening and progression of nearsightedness that continues throughout childhood — and this puts them at a significantly greater risk of very serious and potentially sight-threatening eye conditions later in life, including, cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment

2 Eye exams can detect other serious health problems.

Most people first learn they have serious health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even cancer from — yes, you guessed it — a routine eye exam.

During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor can observe and analyze the health and condition of the blood vessels in your retina which are a good predictor of the health of blood vessels throughout your body. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia all are visible by changes in the appearance of the retinal blood supply and blood vessels.

3 By keeping your eyes healthy, you keep your brain healthy – improving your overall quality of life! Good vision contributes to improved athletic ability, better driving skills, improved learning, emotionally, mentally and better quality of life.

HOW TO MAINTAIN GOOD EYESIGHT