Why I get a yearly comprehensive eye exam and you should too

This post is sponsored by VSP Vision Care and all opinions are my own.

For the past ten years or so, I´ve been getting a yearly eye exam and I’m really glad I do this.

I recently found out that a comprehensive eye exam can tell the eye doctor something more, not only about my eye health, but also about my total health!

My vision has changed over the years

I had 20/20 vision all my life until at the age of 45 I started noticing I could not easily read small print.

I used reading glasses for a couple of years.

At 47 I opted for progressive lenses, since I work on my laptop and my smartphone all day.

I didn’t want to have my readers hanging around my neck or have to look for them every five minutes.

I now alternate between multifocal contact lenses and progressive lens glasses, since I now need help seeing at all distances.

Of course, I´m not exhilarated by this, but I’m grateful that my eyesight was perfect for so many years.

Please keep in mind that eye health is about more than just vision

I could have great vision and poor eye health, or the contrary, poor vision and great eye health.

That’s where annual eye exams come in.

Once a year, when I get my eyes checked, I make sure to request a comprehensive eye exam, that includes pupil dilation or non-invasive technology to analyze the retina.

These procedures can detect signs of a wide range of chronic diseases, from diabetes to autoimmune diseases to certain types of cancer.

I´ve lost three good friends, one of them my best friend, to cancer. My great-uncle died of a massive heart attack at 72 caused by ill-managed diabetes. My brother-in-law has diabetes. 

That’s why I make it my business to have my eyes checked yearly, and I hope you do too!

Early detection of certain conditions is extremely important because for example, in the case of diabetes, many people have it for years before they find out.

Diabetes is largely a silent disease. Early symptoms such as fatigue, thirst or weight-loss can go unnoticed or be chalked up to something else. 

Fortunately, an eye doctor can detect signs of diabetes without needles or uncomfortable tests.

The blood vessels in the back of your eyes can reveal early signs of diabetes up to seven years before some of these symptoms reveal themselves.

As I mentioned above, an eye doctor can look at those blood vessels by dilating our pupils or using non-invasive technology to analyze the retina. 

It is safe – and more important than ever – to schedule a comprehensive annual eye exam. I urge you to find a VSP network eye doctor at vsp.com/eye-doctor