I can see everything, I don't need an eye test do I?

These days there is a lot more assessed in an eye test than your vision- obviously an important component, but what else is the Optician checking?

First up; your eye health. Optician's check the outside and inside of your eyes and take into account your general health and any ocular disease that may occur in your family. An eye test may detect ocular conditions such as cataract or glaucoma and may suggest underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. If an Optician suspected any underlying conditions, further assessments can be done in store, alongside referral to your GP or the eye department in the hospital.

Sometimes, it is easy to assume that if you had any underlying issues, you would have symptoms, yes? And sometimes you will, but in many cases there may be no symptoms to the underlying issue and this is when an eye test becomes something you are very glad you had done! It can be the case something is treated or checked by a GP or Ophthalmologist, before becoming a bigger issue, and as with everything, the sooner something is dealt with the less of a problem it can become. 

Optician's also listen to your symptoms; a common issue, especially since patient's started working from home, is ocular fatigue. Many patients seem to be spending more and more time on their screens and find their eyes are becoming increasingly strained; burning or even blurry; when they never have done before! There are many different reasons for these symptoms and something I will explore on a different blog post (in fear of too much too soon)!  

Optician's are always glad to see you (excuse the pun) so never worry about feeling you are in 'for no reason' or 'wasting time', building up a picture of you and your eyes in their healthy state means if anything was to change, it becomes a lot more easily detected.

The summary is; an eye test is so much more than your vision and this is why the AOP (Association of Optometrists) recommend EVERYONE to have an eye test every 2 years. Yes; every 2 years; not 5 or 10 or when the issue arises. That includes you, reading this, when was your last eye test?

Click the 'The Sight Test Explained; a really helpful document explaining why you should come for an eye test and what it will entail.

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