The Importance of Regular Eye Exams
Eye exams are often overlooked in our busy lives, but getting your eyes checked can tell you about more than just vision problems. Eye exams can give important insights into your overall health. Here to tell us more is Dr. Jourdan Valkner Krause, an optometrist with the Froedtert & MCW health network.
Why is getting regular eye exams so important?
One of the biggest misconceptions that a lot of people have about eye exams is that you only get them done if you need glasses or contacts, when in fact this shouldn't be true. There is a lot of eye conditions that can be diagnosed through a routine eye exam, including things like cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration. There's also a lot of systemic diseases that manifest throughout the eyes, including diabetes, hypertension. Some cancers can even show throughout the eyes and sickle cell disease. So, it's really important to get an eye exam every year just to check for these things.
What are some symptoms of vision concerns that people should be aware of?
Any new changes to your vision, so sudden onset blurry vision, loss of vision, any eye pain, or if you're noticing any floaters in your vision, or flashes of light. Those could be signs like a retinal detachment that requires immediate treatment, or things like an eye infection or dryness to the eyes that needs medication to be treated. The biggest thing is just knowing not to play these off like they're going to get better in a day or two or if you just feel like it's a regular aging change. You should really get it looked at by an eye care professional who can tell you that.
Why should someone choose the Froedtert & MCW health network for their vision care?
Choosing our network provides patients with convenient locations as well as an expert team that is skilled in the most up-to-date research and technology for diagnosing these conditions and treating them. Being a part of an academic health network, we are very heavily involved in clinical trials, so we're able to offer treatments that are not readily available within the community.
