Your eyes are your window to the world. You use your sight to read, drive, watch television, and connect with your loved ones. You need to keep your eyes healthy by visiting your eye doctor once a year for your annual eye exam. These four tips can make your next eye exam more comfortable and productive:
1. Ask any questions you may have.
If you've been experiencing specific troubles with your vision, your eye exam is a good time to bring them up. Talk to your doctor about your concerns so they can perform the right tests. Your eye doctor is always happy to answer any questions you may have about your vision, eyes, or vision aids.
2. Bring up your dry eyes.
Dry eyes may seem like a minor concern, but this condition can have a medical cause. If you experience dry, itchy eyes on a regular basis, bring it up at your next eye exam. Some people's eyes don't produce enough tears, and other people produce tears that are inadequate for the purpose of lubricating their eyes. Your doctor can perform tests to find out what the problem is. They may suggest you start using over the counter eye drops, or they may suggest medicated eye drops. For severe cases of dry eye, your doctor may recommend more intensive treatment like tear duct plugs.
3. Bring sunglasses with you.
Eye doctors perform a variety of tests during eye exams, in order to diagnose illnesses like glaucoma. For one of these tests, your doctor will put medicated eye drops into your eye which will dilate your pupils. Once your pupils are dilated, your doctor will be able to get a closer look at the back of your eye. Eye dilation will make you more sensitive to light until your pupils can constrict normally again. Your doctor will give you paper sunglasses as you leave the office, but you will probably be more comfortable if you bring a pair of your own sunglasses.
4. Have someone drive you to your eye exam.
If your doctor dilates your eyes at your eye exam, your vision may be blurry for a couple hours until the medication wears off. The blurriness shouldn't be enough to hinder you from walking around, but you should avoid driving until your vision goes back to normal. Unless you have certain preexisting conditions, most eye doctors recommend having your eyes dilated every two years. Ask a friend to drive you to your eye exam if you're due for an eye dilation test this year.
For more information, contact companies like Northwest Ophthalmology.