Even if your vision is crystal clear, taking care of your eyes is one of the most important ways to maintain your health. Fewer people than ever, though, have that perfect vision. Up to 42% of people between ages 12 and 54 were nearsighted in the United States in the early 2000s, according to The Atlantic. Eyes change drastically over time. In childhood, they grow and develop, which can bring about nearsightedness. As you age, they can change in ways that make focusing on nearby things harder. Regular visits to your eye doctor can really make a difference.

1. Disease Prevention

Many eye diseases show no early warning signs. Even if you have excellent vision today, you could wake up tomorrow with a slight impairment or loss of vision. An eye doctor can detect problems like cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration early before catastrophe strikes.

2. Vision Correction

If you're thinking to yourself, “I have great vision, I just squint a little,” it's possible that your eyes are beginning to change. An eye doctor can examine you and see if that squinting is a symptom of a burgeoning vision condition. Myopia affects over two out of five people, and possibly many more people have it and may never realize it until an eye exam.

3. Symptom Detection

Diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol can all be detected through an eye exam. In every eye exam, the blood vessels in your retina are checked since they indicate the health of other blood vessels in your body. If you're at risk of diabetes, it's especially important to have a routine eye exam. Diabetic eye disease is the most common cause of blindness in adults and its early stages are nearly invisible.

4. Clarity and Performance

One of the most preventable causes of poor scholastic performance is blurry vision. Children's eyes are not just the windows of the soul; they're the way your children learn and apply their lessons in school. If your children's teachers have had concerns about your child's concentration in class, the first step is to schedule a comprehensive eye exam.

Scheduling an eye exam for yourself or your kids is one of the biggest steps you can take for good health. Contact us today at Jeffries Eye Care to get your eyes checked out today.