You know when your optometrist says that you need to come back for your next eye examination in 3/6/12 months?
They mean it!
Like you, they’re busy people – juggling work and family commitments. They’re also trained and regulated medical professionals who’ve spent many years training to be able to do what they do – helping people see the world clearly for as long as possible.
As one of our optometrists put it, “the eyes are very quiet”. You tend not to get pain with your eyes like you might with toothache or joint issues. Chances are, you won’t have any other symptoms and, quite frequently, your eyesight may have not changed at all.
However, there are a whole host of serious medical issues that your eye examination may show up that aren’t directly linked to your eyes. The retinal photography, field tests, pressure tests and examinations of the back of your eyes can reveal conditions such as:
- Cancers of the blood, skin, or tissue,
- Brain Tumours, Stroke, and aneurysms,
- Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and many other auto-immune conditions
- Thyroid Disease
- High blood pressure and high cholesterol
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Sickle Cell Disease and other vascular diseases
- And, amongst others, a host of sexually transmitted infections.
If we find any signs of these conditions during your eye examination (as well as other conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration or glaucoma) we will refer you for further investigations AND invite you back for an assessment in however many months we judge to be best for you.
The thing is many people don’t come in for those examinations. We’ve used the excuses ourselves to delay appointments with other professionals (we’re human too!). The most common reasons are that folk are short of time/too busy, are worried about the cost and/or they’ve got no symptoms and therefore don’t see the need.
Following on from our myth busting last week, we thought we’d give our views on these reasons.
Time. Our appointments are an hour long so that we can carry out a detailed eye examination and explain to you everything that we find. An hour that could mean you are able to see for the rest of your life. It’s not much is it?!
Money. We charge a flat rate for the examination which includes all the tests other opticians charge for. From September 1st, this will be £60 which, based on our very technical research around the Quadrant, is about the same as a haircut. Or a dinner out for two.
If your prescription has changed, you don’t have to have completely new glasses either – especially if you’ve originally purchased from us. Many of our clients now order new lenses for their existing frames and we’ll fit them for you in store once they arrive.
But my sight is fine! If we’re inviting you back in 3 or 6 months, we’d be quite surprised if you vision has changed. However, we’ll have spotted something we want to keep an eye on (pun intended) to ensure that your vision is that good for as long as it possibly can be.
Realise you probably should have booked an appointment? Pop in or call 01727 838003 and we’ll get you in the diary. Looking after your eyes really does let you have EYES on the future.
EYES on MYTHS!
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