It is pretty easy for the average person to understand the need for a standard doctor or dentist appointment. Even if you might not enjoy them, or even may not schedule them as faithfully as you should, it is not hard to understand how these involve both tests and preventative work that are important to staying healthy. What many people forget, however, is how important it is to also pay attention to your eyes. Even if you have no problem at all with your vision, you should be making yearly visits to a specialist in Optometry Murrieta.
There are problems that can start developing in your eyes, even without having any noticeable effect on your vision. Glaucoma, for example, is a particular pattern of damage to the nerves inside your eye. When it first begins, there are no symptoms that you can feel. Since it also typically causes an increase in pressure inside your eye, doctors have instruments that can be used to measure the amount of pressure that is present. When this test finds something, it is possible to begin treatment early enough to prevent significant problems. Without that treatment, however, most people with glaucoma will end up permanently losing at least a portion of their vision.
It is also possible for a specialist in Optometry Murrieta to identify other health problems at times. The human eye is actually the easiest place in the entire body to get a look at a person’s blood vessels. With the right instruments and expertise, it is often easy to get a sense of how healthy these vessels are and how well they are functioning. In some cases, eye exams have led to the diagnosis of serious problems like high blood pressure and diabetes, that might have otherwise gone undetected much longer.
Getting your vision checked is not just for people who have known vision problems. Your eyes need the same care that you give to the rest of your body. Since a general care doctor has neither the training nor the equipment to fully care for their needs, it is important to see a specialist yearly to make sure that everything is all right.
