Eye Eye, Doctor: Three Problems to Discuss with your Optometrist

For many people, visiting the optometrist is just about having your eyes tested for the correct prescription. Either you need new glasses or you don't, and that's the end of it. In reality, however, optometrists do far more than help you to achieve good, sharp vision. They're also responsible for monitoring the overall health of your eyes, and keeping track of potential problems that you may run into — especially as you age.

In order to best assist them in this purpose, here are three health issues you should take note of and remember to mention during your appointment.

Headaches

It's okay to have a headache every now and again, especially during times of stress or noise — but if you get them quite regularly, you should definitely bring them up. Even if you believe your headaches are not related to your vision, it's important that your optometrist knows about them. It's not always detectable to the patient whether there is or is not a connection to the eyes, so handing off that information so it can be fully investigated is the safest thing to do.

Spots in Vision

As a child, you may have enjoyed the shapes that light seemed to imprint on your eyes, or even applied a little pressure to your closed eyes to produce a similar effect. Of course, this is not particularly healthy, but of greater concern is if you ever experience similar effects in your adult life without any real cause. Take note of when it happens, and schedule an appointment as soon as possible. More general marks on your vision, sometimes called 'floaters', are natural as you age, but can also be related to high blood pressure, so take care to mention those as well.

Dryness or Soreness

If you find that you often need to use eye drops, that's something you should definitely tell your optometrist about — even if those eye drops make the dryness quite manageable. There may be an underlying problem behind the dryness that needs to be addressed. It may also be the case that your eye doctor can prescribe you a stronger or more effective kind of eye drops which will make things easier for you overall.

In many cases, your optometrist will ask you about all these things during your appointment, but it helps to be prepared for the questions, and also to bring them up yourself if necessary. It is natural for humans to see their vision deteriorate a little over time, but that only makes your good eye health all the more worthy of protection while you still have it.

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