Eye and Vision Problems Affect Everyone's Eyes

That was kind of snappy, in a weird kind of way but it does express a concern that affects most Americans. I say most Americans because this country has become a mecca for the 'electronic lifestyle and lively-hood'. We are a nation of squinters and 'wide-eyes', always trying to get one more word off the screen before rubbing our tired eyes into submission.

"Vision problems are only a problem when you can't see anymore!" said the blind man.

Poor wisdom at the very best. Eye problems can be minor issues when treated promptly, especially with young children. I have personally made eyeglasses for several children under 5 years old and what a treat when they see clearly for the first time and your there to be in on it with the parents. Most eye problems are corrected either with eyeglasses or contact lenses. I personally prefer the eyeglasses to the contact because I've seen some bad things happen with poor care of contacts. I have also seen first-hand a benefit of contacts as well. Like the time when my mother-in-law was trimming a bush outside, a pointed leaf hit her square in the eye and scraped the side of her sclera(white part) because the contact stopped the initial prod of the branch from entering her eye dead on. The hospital said she was very lucky to have been wearing them. If she was wearing eyeglasses she would have saved the trip to the hospital altogether! I'm going to say it again, hind sight is 20/20!

There are other issues that can be detected through an optometric examination such as diabetes and high blood pressure, just by looking at your eye. I do recommend getting a dilation exam once every two years, unless your doctor recommends sooner, for the overall health of the eye. This is where the doctor can look into the eye, non invasively, and make sure everything looks as it should. If it doesn't, get it fixed sooner than later! Any other questions should be directed to your personal eye care professional to answer.