More than 64% of American adults wore prescription eyeglasses in 2016, and 42% of people between 12 and 54 are nearsighted. Another 5% to 10% of people in the United States are farsighted, and full-time workers and younger generations are spending more and more time in front of screens. There’s no denying: our eyes are in need of good care.
Our eyes are one of our most valuable possessions, and though most of us take them for granted, most of us would not be willing to trade them for anything. Eye care is something everyone should be concerned about, so here are five important signs that you need to see an eye specialist.
- You’re having disturbances in your vision. These can be floaters, obstructions, or flashes of light, but only your optometrist can tell you if it’s serious or not. Floaters can be harmless byproducts of aging; or they can be a sign of a larger problem, such as a retinal tear.
- You think you might have an eye infection. Everyone gets strained, tired, red eyes at times, especially if you have allergies or spent the night up late working at a screen. But if you’re getting that feeling a lot, it’s possible you need eye wear. Eye infection is also a possibility, and that’s nothing you want to play with. Eye infections can be contagious, and in the worst cases can lead to vision loss. Your eye specialist is the right one to help you find out what’s going on.
- Your vision is blurry or you’re having trouble focusing. There are a number of reasons this could be happening, and sometimes it’s not even related to your eyes. But since it is affecting your eyes, it’s a good idea to start with an eye specialist. Blurred vision or focusing problems could mean you need eye wear, or they could be a result of macular degeneration, cataracts, or glaucoma. Don’t hesitate to see an eye specialist if you notice either of these issues.
- You are having headaches a lot. There are a lot of reasons that you could get a headache, but regular eye strain is one of them. In some cases, your eye strain could be fixed with the right eyeglasses or contact lenses, so see your eye specialist if you’re experiencing headaches that don’t seem to be related to anything else, such as allergies or illness.
- Your eyes are sensitive to light. All eyes are sensitive to light to some degree or another, and people with lighter colored eyes are often more sensitive than those with dark eyes. But if you’re sensitivity to light seems to have changed for the worse, it’s time to see an eye specialist and make sure you don’t have uveitis.
If you’re experiencing discomfort, difficulty seeing, or anything else you suspect might be related to your eyes, don’t wait. Your vision is too precious to risk, so see your eye specialist as soon as you notice a problem.