Eye Doctor Near Immokalee, Florida
You probably visit your family physician every year for a checkup and you most likely visit your dentist every six months. However, most people don’t schedule regular appointments with an eye doctor. There are many important reasons to keep this a yearly routine, and our eye doctor near Immokalee, Florida is close by at the Fort Myers location of Elmquist Eye Group.
Why See an Eye Doctor?
Most people only visit the eye doctor to get a new glasses prescription, but there are so many other reasons to see an eye doctor. General eye health is very important, and many eye diseases do not have early symptoms. An eye exam is often the only way to detect eye problems early.
Eye exams are easy and painless. It is important to have a visual acuity test as well as an exam whereby the eye doctor examines your eyes’ internal structures. This examination evaluates the overall health of your eyes and is important in catching issues early. Having regular checkups helps you avoid problems further down the road.
If you are under age 40, regular eye exams every two years are perfectly fine. After age 40, the vision starts to change, so annual visits are recommended. Over age 65, we recommend visits at least annual and perhaps every six months, depending on family history of eye diseases, whether you have cataract formation, and whether you have other health conditions such as diabetes.
What to Expect During an Eye Exam
Seeing the eye doctor is easy, quick and stress free. We will talk to you about your eyesight changes and any issues you have been experiencing. The doctor may want to dilate your eyes to get a better look at the internal structures. The exam typically involves the following:
- Discussion of family history of eye diseases and other health conditions
- Personal review of your medical record
- Reading an eye chart to evaluate your vision
- Check for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism
- Evaluation of how well your eyes work together
- Air puff test to measure internal eye pressure for signs of glaucoma
- Exam of the inside of the eye structures to look for cataracts and other conditions
As more of our patients have a health history of diabetes, we are performing more and more diabetic eye exams. Diabetes damages the small blood vessels in the eye, a condition called diabetic retinopathy. Eye exams often show early signs of diabetes and can help with early detection and prompt treatment.
A diabetic eye exam differs a bit from a regular eye exam. We must perform a dilated eye exam and may perform additional tests to gather more information. These include optical coherence tomography (OCT) images using a special camera to look at the retina and surrounding blood vessel damage.
Has it been a while since you’ve seen an eye doctor? We hope this article has provided you with some compelling reasons to schedule an appointment if it has been a while. At Elmquist Eye Group, our eye doctor is near Immokalee, Florida and ready for you to be a new patient at our Fort Myers locaton. We are just a short drive away, so give us a call or go online to schedule your appointment today.