We work and play more with our eyes than any other part of our body. Our eyes work hard for us on the computer, catching a ball, reading, and driving a car.
So getting your eyes checked once a year is the least you can do for your precious eyes. Imagine how life would be if you can’t see! Some people think that an eye exam is just a prescription, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye in an exam!
In today’s digital age, some companies are offering an online eye exam, but it is not a good option. In the long run, it can cost you more time and money than you save, not to mention endanger your eyes.
The main reason that you need to have your eyes examined by a doctor in an office every year is to evaluate the health of your eyes. Most eye-health problems do NOT have symptoms until they have progressed. An online eye exam is only to measure the power of your eyes. It is incomplete, because it does not evaluate the overall health of your eyes. An online test only provides a limited scope of measurements and none of these are enough to provide you with accurate results, especially if you have an underlying condition such as cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration.
Online exams also cannot replace a physical exam with a doctor. Here are some of the test that cannot be done with an online eye exam:
- Exam of inside of eye (retina)
- Exam for cataracts
- Exam for macular degeneration
- Evaluation of visual performance: tracking, eye teaming, focusing, depth perception
And more.
Be preventive instead of reactive. Do not wait until you have an eye problem, or eye disease before having the health of your eyes checked. Many eye health problems can be treated in the early stages. If you wait too late, we may not be able to restore your vision, and that would be a shame if it was something that could have been prevented. Prevention is worth a pound of cure!