Healthy Eyes, Healthy People Checklist
ARAContent
(ARA) - Grocery lists prevent us from forgetting the milk; to-do lists document weekend chores to accomplish. Lists can create order in chaos. They take the pressure off having to remember everything and make it possible to see our thoughts on paper. With lists, we can remember the important, and not so important, bits and pieces of our lives.
Your eye health and general health ought to be at the top of your health care to-do list. Your eyes are often the best windows to your health. By looking into your eyes, your optometrist can learn a lot about your general health. For example, did you know that some systemic and chronic diseases, especially diabetes, can often be detected by an optometrist during a comprehensive eye exam? Diseases, like diabetes, can seriously affect your vision, in addition to your general health. Other eye diseases, like glaucoma, may cause irreversible vision damage and eventually blindness without ever presenting any symptoms.
To help prevent or delay diabetes, glaucoma, and other chronic diseases, the American Optometric Association created the Healthy Eyes Healthy People Adult Checklist to remind the public of the importance of having one’s eyes examined regularly, in addition to scheduling regular checkups with primary care physicians and other health professionals. The Checklist asks 14 questions applying to your current eye sight. Here is a sampling of the questions included on the Checklist, Are you:
* someone with diabetes, hypertension, or any other systemic or chronic disease?
* having difficulty reading smaller type, such as books and newspapers?
* experiencing frequent headaches after working on a computer?
* losing track of a person or objects in your peripheral (side) vision?
* playing sports and having trouble judging distances between yourself, the ball, or other objects?
* handling or using chemicals, power tools, or lawn and garden equipment?
If you answered yes to any of the questions (the complete Checklist can be found at www.aoa.org) or you have not seen your optometrist in over a year, the AOA encourages you to schedule an appointment for a comprehensive eye examination. Your eyesight and eye health deserve to be protected and monitored. Even if you didn’t check yes, keep in mind that symptoms of vision problems aren’t always apparent. Regular, comprehensive eye exams by a doctor of optometry can help you be certain that your eyes are functioning properly and are healthy.
Because children grow and change so rapidly, how they see can have a profound impact on their development and ability to learn. A separate Checklist exists specifically for children’s eyes. It provides different symptoms and behaviors to watch for in children who may have vision problems. Regular eye exams can help you be certain that your child’s vision is developing normally. Since vision changes can occur without you or your child noticing them, your child should visit the optometrist for a comprehensive eye examination starting at six months, again at 3 years, before entering school, and at least every two years after that. The frequency of exams should remain every two years through adulthood and then become annual after age 60.
For the complete Checklist or to view the Healthy Eyes Healthy Children’s Checklist, please visit http://www.aoa.org/commcenter/save.asp.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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Last updated: 10/10/03
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