Those who have been to an eye doctor are familiar with having their eyes dilated as part of the examination. Newer, more advanced examination devices are replacing the older instruments and providing a more transparent view inside the eye.
Doctors of optometry are America’s frontline defenders of eye health. Their duties go far beyond prescribing glasses or contact lenses and include screening for general health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
Early Detection
As the Shakespeare quote goes, “the eyes are the windows to the soul.” But they’re also windows to our overall health. Routine eye exams are essential for detecting and treating many severe medical diseases affecting our bodies.
For example, glaucoma, the “silent thief of sight,” is a group of eye diseases that cause progressive optic nerve damage. The most common form of glaucoma, open-angle glaucoma, causes a gradual buildup of pressure that damages the optic nerve. It is frequently identified by a thorough eye examination, a visual field test, or a tonometry test.
Eye doctors can also detect early warning signs of more than 270 systemic severe conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and autoimmune diseases. They can even spot the microscopic effects of heart disease, such as marks on the retina caused by blocked arteries. To do this, optometrist Halifax conducts various tests, including a comprehensive eye exam, optical coherence tomography, and a visual field test.
Prevention
An optometrist can detect several eye diseases in a patient during a comprehensive dilated eye exam. These tests also help to identify signs that may indicate problems in other areas of the body, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
The good news is that many eye conditions, including macular degeneration and other serious ailments, can be prevented. To keep your best possible vision, have frequent eye exams and maintain a nutritious diet of fruits and vegetables.
Optometrists can play a crucial role in helping prevent blindness and other eye diseases by educating patients on these issues. They can also offer various other eye health services, such as prescription eyeglasses, low vision rehabilitation, and contact lens practice. In addition, some optometrists work in the community as community optometrists, traveling to rural regions to create awareness and provide education on eye care. It is a valuable service to the public and helps to alleviate poverty.
Diagnosis
During comprehensive eye exams, optometrists can pick up warning signs of health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure that affect the eyes. They can also spot ocular and systemic diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
An optometrist can use a variety of procedures, such as the swinging flashlight test to measure fluid pressure in the eyes or timing how long it takes you to blink after giving you drops to dilate your pupils; an optometrist can diagnose a wide range of ocular and visual problems. They can then prescribe, fit, and supply glasses and contact lenses of the correct refractive condition to help you see better.
In addition, they can treat many conditions affecting the eyes, including infections and other symptoms such as itchy and watery eyes, red and swollen eyelids, and dry eyes. They can also advise on eye coordination and focusing disorders and counsel you on caring for your eyes.
Treatment
The eye is one of the most complex organs in the human body. The size of a ping-pong ball works to take in and process visual information that the brain can interpret and gauge distance. This vital sense is susceptible to many diseases, especially as the body ages.
Most diseases of the eyes can be diagnosed and treated by optometrists. They can prescribe eye drops and medication for glaucoma and other conditions.
They can also refer patients with more severe eye problems to ophthalmologists or other healthcare specialists for additional treatment. This collaboration between the two professions is increasingly essential for modern healthcare delivery. It frees up ophthalmologists to focus their efforts on cases requiring medical intervention. It also helps to keep optometrists in the community, where they can provide closer and more convenient services to patients. It, in turn, saves health service resources.