Why an eye exam is about more than glasses

Because some of us leave an eye exam with a new or updated eyeglasses prescription, it can seem like that’s the main objective of the appointment. In fact, the appointment is an essential check of our overall eye health.

“So much more of the eye exam is about making sure all the systems within the eyes work well,” explained Dr. Mark Langer from IRIS Optometrists and Opticians. “But also really carefully evaluating the health from the front of the eye right to the back of the eye.”

This thorough examination in part is to rule out retinal issues like macular degeneration and glaucoma.

“It’s really those retinal issues that can be quite disruptive to vision and that cause most of the conditions that cause blindness in the Western world. Things like macular degeneration and glaucoma that are quite common, that I see daily.”

If we can see fine, why go to an eye doctor? 

“People have to understand there’s no pain or pressure receptors in the retina, so you can get shearing of that tissue and not even feel that anything’s wrong.”

“A lot of the retinal conditions that can cause vision loss are often painless, and at first, such a slight vision loss that by the time people actually notice something’s wrong, it’s often too late to do anything about it.”

Routine eye exams are critical in properly identifying and then monitoring and treating some of these conditions before they get to the point where people have lost vision from them.

How often should a person have an eye exam?

“For a healthy adult between the ages of 18 and 65, we typically say every two years is fine,” Dr. Langer said. “Now, if you have family history of certain eye conditions such as macular degeneration or glaucoma, or if you’re a diabetic, or there are various other eye conditions and health conditions that can cause problems in the eyes, then then we typically would shorten that to yearly exams and sometimes even every six months or so.”

To schedule an eye appointment, call (250) 542-2239, book an appointment online, or stop by IRIS in the Village Green Shopping Centre.