Written by Nicole Harris, OD

Sight is often considered to be the most valued sense to the general public but can be commonly overlooked if someone is not having any visual or ocular symptoms. Seeing your eye doctor regularly is important to maintain or improve your vision and an important part of overall health maintenance. May is Healthy Vision Month and a good time to think about when was the last time you had a comprehensive dilated eye exam. At each stage of life, vision plays an important role in how we learn, work, navigate, and function day to day.

The most common cause of blurred vision is refractive error, which can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgeries like LASIK. More than 150 million Americans have a refractive error.¹ However, regular dilated exams are important to monitor not only for the need for glasses or contact lenses but also ocular diseases and other conditions. Many eye diseases can progress with little symptoms in the early stages, making regular eye exams for early detection even more important. Some of the more common ocular conditions include:

• Amblyopia – Also referred to as “lazy eye”, amblyopia is the most common cause of vision impairment in children. The condition is usually caused by strabismus (eye turn, eye misalignment) or asymmetric glasses prescription in each eye. This is why early detection of differences between the eyes, or an eye turn is important to catch during vision screenings or eye exams at a young age as it requires treatment. Amblyopia can cause lifelong vision impairment if it goes undetected and untreated. Vision screening on all children (usually done at school or at the primary care provider’s office) should be done at least once between age three and five years to detect amblyopia or risk factors for the disease.  Our pediatric team at Associated Eye Care recommends that children have a comprehensive dilated eye exam if they 1) fail a vision screening, 2)are unable to be tested reliably at a screening exam, 3)have a vision complaint or exhibit abnormal visual behavior including squinting, an eye drifting or turning, poor performance in school, etc., or 4)are at risk for the development of eye problems due to family history.
• Dry Eye – Dry eye is a common and oftentimes chronic condition that can lead to ocular discomfort, redness, watery eyes, and fluctuating vision. There are many treatment options for dry eye including over the counter options, environmental changes, prescription medication, and in office procedures.
• Diabetic Retinopathy – The retina (back of the eye) is the only place we can directly view blood vessels that can be damaged by elevated or fluctuating blood sugar. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults from ages 18-64.² Early detection of diabetic retinopathy is key and therefore all diabetic patients should have yearly dilated exams. More frequent follow up is recommended for patients with moderate or severe retinopathy.
• Glaucoma – Often related elevated pressure inside the eye, glaucoma damages the optic nerve and can result in peripheral vision loss and blindness. Glaucoma is often asymptomatic in early stages, but damage to the optic nerve is irreversible. With early treatment and regular monitoring, progressive vision loss can often be prevented.
• Cataracts – Cataract formation is a clouding of the lens inside the eye. Cataracts are most commonly age-related. The clouding often progresses slowly over time until vision is reduced and cannot be improved with glasses alone. At that point, your eye care provider will discuss cataract surgery. With surgery, the vision loss associated with cataracts is corrected by removing the natural lens and replacing it with a lens implant.
• Age-Related Macular Degeneration -As the name implies, macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease associated with aging and results in damage to the central part of the retina and causes progressive loss of central vision. Risk factors for AMD include smoking, UV exposure, family history, hypertension, and others. If signs of macular degeneration are noted, your eye care provider may recommend eye specific vitamins to help slow progression of the disease.

If you are overdue or have never had had a comprehensive exam, consider scheduling one today. Associated Eye Care is committed to providing the best care for your vision now and in the future as our motto is “Vision for a Lifetime”. Regardless of where you or your family members are on the spectrum of life, newborns to life veterans, we have specialists on staff dedicated to your area of need. We have clinics in the East Metro and Western Wisconsin.

Dr. Harris sees patients in Baldwin on Wednesdays and select Fridays. To schedule an eye exam at Western Wisconsin Health, please call 715- 684-1111.

To schedule an appointment at an Associated Eye Care location, please call 651-275-3000 or visit our website www.associatedeyecare.com

Sources: 

1 Refractive Errors. National Eye Institute. 2022. www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/refractive-errors

2 Coexisting Conditions and Complications. CDC. 2022. www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/coexisting-conditions-complications.html