WHAT CAN AN EYE EXAM REVEAL?
It’s all in the eyes! Did you know that an eye exam can reveal not only problems with your vision but also important clues about your general health? For this reason, setting up an eye exam in Calgary is just as vital as going to your family doctor or dentist for a regular checkup.
Like general and dental health problems, early detection of eye problems, from cataracts to glaucoma, can help reduce the severity of some of the symptoms. But eye exams can also help detect other health problems whose symptoms also affect the eyes. That’s why at Crowfoot Vision Centre, we provide thorough eye exams to check both your eye health and overall health.
Health Problems Detectable by Eye Exams
Some of the health problems an eye doctor in Calgary can detect through an eye exam include:
- Hypertension – Hypertension can affect the blood vessels in your eyes. If the blood vessels show bends or tears, this may be an indication of high blood pressure. If you have already been diagnosed with hypertension, let your Crowfoot Vision optometrist know, so we can monitor your eyes for this kind of damage.
- High cholesterol – If your cornea has a yellowish appearance or has a yellow ring around it, it may be a sign that you have high cholesterol.
- Diabetes – Diabetes can cause the small capillaries in your eyes’ retina to leak blood or yellowish fluid, a condition called diabetic retinopathy. If you have undiagnosed or untreated diabetes, your eye exam can alert you to this condition. Early detection of diabetic retinopathy, before the retina is severely damaged, can prevent vision loss.
- Autoimmune disorders – Inflammation of the eye may indicate an autoimmune disorder like Lupus.
- Thyroid disease – Bulging eyes or protruding eyeballs are one of the telltale signs of thyroid disease. This is also referred to as Graves’ Disease.
- Cancer – Skin cancer and ocular melanoma are two types of cancer your eye doctor can detect with an eye exam. If anything unusual is noticed, your eye doctor may recommend you to a specialist to screen for cancer.
- Tumors – Tumors, such as neck tumors or an aneurism, may cause droopy eyelids or irregularly shaped pupils.
Vision Screening Versus a Comprehensive Eye Exam
Vision screenings are a common procedure that can be performed by school nurses, volunteers, or pediatricians. This type of screening is meant to help identify people with a risk of vision problems. For example, the eye test you take to renew your driver’s license only shows that your vision may be impaired and that you may require corrective lenses to drive safely. Essentially, a vision screening just lets you know that you need to go see an eye doctor for further diagnosis.
Contact Crowfoot Vision Centre to Request an Appointment
A comprehensive eye exam gives you specific information about the condition of your eyes and your overall health. It’s also an opportunity for you to get answers from an eye specialist about how you can protect and enhance your vision. Schedule regular eye exams for yourself and your family with the trained Calgary optometrists at Crowfoot Vision Centre. Our eye exams include binocular vision assessment, retinoscopy, ocular health assessment, and a visual acuity test.