World No Tobacco Day
You might already know the other health consequences of smoking, but it also can damage your eyes! #WorldNoTobaccoDay
Underlying Health Conditions Visible In The Eyes
During a comprehensive eye exam, Dr. Lee does much more than just determine your prescription for glasses or contact lenses. She will also check your eyes for common diseases, assess how well they work together as a team, and look for indicators of potentially serious health conditions that affect your whole body. A number of underlying health conditions can be detected through a comprehensive eye exam, ranging from high blood pressure and diabetes to certain forms of cancer. Because the eye is the only part of the body in which blood vessels can be viewed without invasive techniques, it can be the first place that conditions like high blood pressure is detected. Other health conditions that may show signs in the eyes include tumours, aneurysms, autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease, sickle cell disease, liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological or brain disorders.
A comprehensive eye exam includes tests of peripheral vision and eye muscle function and can often be the first line of detection of a brain tumour. The eye and its surrounding tissues are one of the most common areas of the body where skin cancer is first diagnosed. The muscles attached to the eye that are responsible for coordinated eye movements are controlled through nerves that arise directly from the brain. Several neurological conditions, which affect the brain, including Parkinson’s disease and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, can affect eye movements and even cause double vision.
A comprehensive eye exam can detect problems with eye movement, and vision training or spectacle (eyeglass) therapy can improve the ability of the eyes to track and work together.
Diseases Detected in an Eye Exam
Think of your optometrist as part of your healthcare pit crew! You may think you’re only there to have your vision checked, but an optometrist can also detect signs of high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease, neurologic conditions, thyroid disease, and many other health issues.#VisionHealthMonth
Click below to read a great article by a family doctor. She discusses why it’s important to keep annual eye exams a priority in your busy lives. All eye tests are not created equally, and a comprehensive checkup by your optometrist is much more than your family doctor can typically do. A doctor of optometry has the equipment and expertise to do a truly thorough assessment.
The Serious Diseases a Doctor of Optometry Can Detect written by Kim Foster, MD
Importance of Children’s Eye Exams
Here’s why The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends a child’s first eye exam to be between age 6-9 months. A comprehensive eye exam is more than just checking vision and reading letters (which we know your baby can’t do!). By looking inside your eyes, an optometrist can help detect potentially seriously health conditions such as brain tumours, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Vision Health Month
May is Vision Health month!
Dr Lee is representing the Ontario Association of Optometrists at the Pri-Med Canada Exhibit, one of the largest medical conferences in Ontario. We’re meeting family physicians, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners and sharing the importance of eye health and vision care!