Everyone is guilty of putting off health checks at some point in their lives because we’re not conditioned to place much emphasis and focus on the preventative aspect of health checks. Everyone should however always prioritise good eye health and go for regular eye tests as vision is considered the most valuable and important of all the senses. Up to 80% of the world around us is perceived by means of sight. The early detection of serious eye conditions could also prevent 80% of blindness.
So how often should you go for an eye test? “We recommend that you should have your eyes tested at least once every two years”, says Andre Horn, Mellins i-Style’s managing director. “In certain instances we advise more regular eye examinations, for example once a year, especially if you have diabetes, are older than 40 years and have a family history of glaucoma or are 70 years or older. If your child wears spectacles, he or she should also have an annual eye examination to ensure optimal vision and good eye health”.
An eye examination by an optometrist doesn’t only test your vision, it also checks for any eye injuries, abnormalities and early signs of eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Optometrists are in fact often the first health care professionals to detect chronic systemic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol!