Even if your eyes feel perfectly fine, problems could be lurking. Sight-threatening eye diseases, such as macular degeneration and glaucoma, often have no obvious symptoms in their early stages. Skipping your annual eye exam could lead to bigger problems down the road.
A visit to one of our ophthalmologists in Santa Cruz de Tenerife could even reveal other health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. An eye exam allows the doctor to directly see the blood vessels, making it a vital part of overall healthcare.
In other cases, you may experience eye problems that warrant a visit to the ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Symptoms such as squinting, headaches, and blurred vision are some clear warning signs. If you're wondering, "When should I get an eye exam?" here are some eye-related issues to consider when deciding whether to visit us:
Headaches
Headaches can result from eye problems. A common cause of vision-related headaches is eye strain. Those who regularly work on computers or other devices are prone to digital eye strain. Your eyes have to work harder to read what's on a screen, and people blink up to a third less when using screens. Blinking is important because it keeps your eyes moist and clean.
If your headache is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing eye strain:
- Irritated eyes.
- Redness
- Double vision.
- Sensitivity to bright light.
Eye strain and the resulting headaches are even more severe when you don't have proper vision correction. If you have to strain to read because you're not wearing glasses or contact lenses, you may experience eye strain more frequently or your headaches may worsen.
Squint
Squinting can help you see a little better. Squinting reduces the amount of light from out-of-focus sources and allows you to see what you're looking at more clearly.
If you've discovered these temporary focusing benefits of squinting and find yourself doing it often, you probably need vision correction. Wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses will help you see everything clearly, without needing to squint.
Blurred vision
The causes of blurred vision are varied, and it's a condition that should be taken seriously. Whether you experience sudden or persistent blurred vision, you should schedule an eye exam to identify the cause. Possible reasons include:
- Myopia: If you experience blurred vision when looking at distant objects, the reason could be myopia. Glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery could help correct this refractive error.
- Farsightedness (hyperopia): If you experience blurred vision when looking at close objects, the reason could be farsightedness. The same treatments used for nearsightedness (myopia) can help people with farsightedness.
- Astigmatism: If you experience blurred vision at all distances, the reason could be astigmatism. As in the previous cases, this refractive error is corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery.
- Presbyopia: Presbyopia is the gradual loss of the ability to focus on near objects. This usually develops in people aged 40 and older. In addition to blurred vision, squinting to see close objects is another symptom. Glasses or surgery may help.
- Chronic dry eyes: When the body doesn't produce enough tears, or produces poor-quality tears, the result can be dry eyes. Prescription medications can help.
- Eye floaters: If you see anything that looks like gray specks, threads, or spots floating in your eye, it could indicate a serious eye problem, such as a detached retina.
- Blurred vision can also be a sign of eye problems such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy.
Sharp pain
Sharp, stabbing pain can be one of the most distressing symptoms leading to emergency room visits. It could result from improper contact lens use or a blow to the eye, and it can be treated relatively easily. Sharp, stabbing pain in the eyes could be the result of:
- Rubbing the eye when there is a foreign body present, such as a grain of sand, can cause scratches on the cornea.
- A chemical burn.
- Sjogren's syndrome, which is a condition defined by dry eye, dry mouth, and rheumatoid arthritis.
- An eye infection.
- Eye inflammation.
Don't wait: schedule your appointment
Another way to know you need an eye exam is if it's been more than a year since your last one. You could be in the early stages of an eye problem without any symptoms. Or, you could have diabetes or high blood pressure that can be discovered at your next eye exam. Even if you have 20/20 vision, an annual eye exam is the best way to take care of your eyes.
If you are experiencing any of the problems listed, please contact our clinic in Santa Cruz de Tenerife by calling 822 027 777 to schedule an eye exam. We'd be happy to help!
