Common Eye Care Myths

Posted on: 8 September 2021

Your eyes are among the most complicated and sensitive organs in your body. Not surprisingly, individuals will need to visit medical professionals that specialize in treating the problems that their eyes can experience.

Myth: Optometrist Only Prescribe Corrective Lenses

There is an assumption that an optometrist will only be able to assist patients by providing them with prescriptions for corrective lenses. While this is one of the most important and common services that these professionals can offer, you should avoid assuming that it is all that they can do. The eye exams that these professionals can administer are able to diagnose a wide range of vision problems that you may not otherwise notice. For example, a yearly eye exam can help with diagnosing cataracts and other degenerative conditions.

Myth: Yearly Eye Exams Will Always Take A Long Time

Individuals will often go years without having their eyes examined. Unfortunately, this is often done due to patients assuming an eye exam will take a long time to complete. In reality, most eye exams will be fairly short procedures that may only take an hour to complete. In instances where you opt to have a full exam, dilation drops will be used, and it can take a couple of hours for the effects of these drops to start to wear off. While it is advisable to have your eyes fully evaluated with dilation, it is still possible for your optometrist to administer a reasonable thorough exam without using these drops. This can be useful for individuals that will have to drive themselves home after their eye exam is completed.

Myth: Surgery Is The Only Treatment An Optometrist Can Provide For Cataracts

Cataracts are an unfortunate problem that can be extremely common for individuals that are reaching more advanced ages. Over time, cataracts will be able to grow in size and severity until you may no longer be able to effectively see. Surgery may be unavoidable for a patient to eventually need, but there are treatments that an optometrist can do to help slow the growth and development of a patient's cataracts. For example, there are eye drops that can effectively slow the growth of cataracts so that a patient can delay the need for their surgery until a more convenient time. Diagnosing cataracts early can be an important factor for allowing you to limit the growth and spread of your cataracts as this will allow the optometrist to utilize the full range of potential treatment solutions.

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Remember to Have Your Glasses Adjusted if You Lose Weight

Like most people today, I am on a tight budget. However, I spend the money for good-quality eyeglasses over cheaper ones, because they are something I wear every day. Just after I purchased my last pair of eyeglasses, I began a diet. I ended up losing 50 pounds over the next year! I lost weight from my face, so my glasses became a bit loose. I didn't want to replace them right away, as I loved the pair I had just spent a lot of money on. One day, they slid off my face and I decided that I had to do something about them. I was ecstatic when my optometrist said I did not have to purchase a full new pair of glasses, but that my current ones could be refitted for just a few dollars! I created this blog to share my experience and other tips! Enjoy!