By: Joyce Chien
September is Healthy Aging Month! Needing reading glasses is a common vision change as people age, but vision loss and blindness are not. A comprehensive dilated eye exam is important for all individuals. It is not just for glasses prescriptions! Dilation allows for eye care providers to have the opportunity to examine the back of the eye to detect any disease that can be overlooked without dilation. Some diseases can include glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and much more.
Macular degeneration – A disease that affects your central vision by breaking down the macula, the part of the eye that provides clear central vision.
Glaucoma – A disease that affects the optic nerve in the back of your eye that causes progressive vision loss starting within the periphery
Diabetic Retinopathy – Uncontrolled diabetes that can lead to damaging of blood vessels found within the light sensitive tissue of the back of the eye called the retina
Annual dilated eye exams can allow for early detection and treatment for such diseases that could prevent early onset vision loss. Make sure you are scheduled for your annual dilated eye exam if it has been over a year since your last exam.
