Regular eye exams are important. This is especially true over the age of 55 when the risk for cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration increases. When somebody has very early glaucoma or macular degeneration, there are almost always no obvious symptoms. The person would never FEEL anything was wrong with their eyes. Or even notice any vision changes. However, if somebody does end up with one of these diagnoses, once vision is lost, it’s generally lost forever. As an eye doctor, one of the most sad and frustrating things for me is seeing these sorts of cases in which a person loses vision permanently, yet the vision loss could have been preventable if they would have just come in sooner rather than waiting years and years, until it’s too late. Case in point: Just because your eyes FEEL good or you are still seeing “just fine” ever since your LASIK surgery that was many years ago, I still encourage you all to have regular check ups. Most insurance will cover exams yearly since that what is generally recommended, though even every 2 years may be acceptable for some. Better late than never, right?
