A recent study showed that dilated eye exams were a low-cost method of increasing quality of life for seniors. The study revealed that, in patients with no previously diagnosed eye problems, a dilated eye exam increased the quality of life of the individual 7 x more than just a simple check of the vision chart at the primary care doctor’s office.
In fact, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recently withdrew their support for simple vision chart screenings with a primary care doctor as a meaningful way to increase a person’s quality of life.
Why? A simple vision chart test may not accurately reflect a person’s ability to see clearly and effectively in all situations. But, even more importantly, it fails to assess many ocular conditions which threaten a person’s quality of life. Just a few of these conditions are glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. A dilated eye examination with an eye care provider could identify many other eye conditions and even signs of systemic diseases that may have gone unnoticed during regular physicals with the primary care physician.
I cannot stress enough how important the annual comprehensive eye exam is to a person’s vision, long-term ocular health, their overall health, and (as this study shows) quality of life.
As always, we’d love to hear your questions or comments. Give us a shout over on our facebook page!
Best wishes,
Dr. Beach.
researchers found that the chance of sleep trouble or sleep disturbances increased significantly when less blue light was transmitted to a person’s retina.
The same type of action may explain how light colored irises may be associated with higher risks for certain eye problems. Since there is less of a filtering effect in the light-colored iris, more harmful UV light will pass through the iris and this may increase risks for cataracts and macular degeneration. Some studies have shown a higher incidence of these ocular conditions in patients with lighter-colored irises. Of course, this doesn’t mean that everyone with blue-colored eyes will get macular degeneration and early-onset cataracts, but it is something to consider in terms of increased risk factors. Yet, wearing sunglasses with UV-blocking lenses can reduce these risk factors and help all eyes stay healthy over the long haul.
en as a swirling pattern of white deposits in the cornea. This finding may or may not effect vision, and has been shown to resolve when the medication is stopped.
Facebook