Eye conditions impact how you perform day-to-day activities, such as working on a computer, driving, or reading a book. Collins Eye Center helps patients manage different eye conditions, and we offer various treatment options. Here is more information on how to communicate effectively with your optometrist about vision concerns:
Schedule a Consultation
Scheduling a visit with an optometrist provides opportunities to discuss potential vision issues and receive eye exams. During the visit, the eye doctor will test the different components of your eye and vision, and they assess the structure of your eye and your visual function. These tests include visual field checks to measure how well you see at different distances. Other tests include pupil response evaluations and retinal imaging. Performing examinations allows the doctor to determine whether you are experiencing a form of nearsightedness or farsightedness or other visual issues. This also helps the doctor find if there are any early signs of other vision issues.
If you need corrective lenses, discuss your preferences for glasses or contact lenses with your eye doctor. The doctor is able to perform contact lens tests along with a comprehensive visual examination; these help determine whether you are a candidate for contact lenses. At Collins Eye Center, we measure the surface of your eye to determine the best fit for your lenses.
Discuss Symptoms
Discuss any specific symptoms you are experiencing with your eye doctor. This helps your doctor identify potential conditions; these include constant or occasional double vision, blurriness, and floaters in your vision. Reaching out to an eye doctor at Collins Eye Center when you are experiencing symptoms allows for earlier intervention, as some conditions require more immediate attention. Symptoms also include:
- Hazy vision or trouble seeing at night: This can be a sign of cataracts, an age-related condition where proteins in the lens clump and cloud the lens. Seeing halos around lights or developing light sensitivity are other signs of cataracts.
- Frequent eye strain and headaches: These are signs of astigmatism and farsightedness. Headaches can also be caused by dry eyes.
- Loss of vision: Glaucoma and macular degeneration are conditions that are both affiliated with vision loss. Glaucoma is an eye disorder that is related to pressure buildup within the eye, and macular degeneration is a progressive disease that impacts the central field of vision.
Review Medical History
When visiting with an eye doctor, review your personal and family medical history; some eye conditions are hereditary. Health conditions can impact sight, such as high blood pressure and issues with blood sugar levels. Rising blood sugar sometimes damages the retinal blood vessels. This causes a condition known as diabetic retinopathy, which can cause blindness. Going over your medical history with the doctor allows them to determine if you are at risk for different eye conditions. This allows them to customize treatments appropriately. Early intervention can preserve more of your vision or help you discover health issues that impact your sight.
Go Over Treatment Options
An eye doctor diagnoses and helps you co-manage different conditions, and they provide continual monitoring to track progress. Reviewing treatment options with the eye doctor allows you to make adjustments in your day-to-day life as needed to help you manage your condition. For age-related macular degeneration, your eye doctor may suggest making changes to your diet, such as reducing saturated fats, and taking specific vitamins to reduce the progress of the disease.
Specialized contact lenses to help shape the eye also help reduce the progression of myopia. Neurolenses allow you to manage headaches and eye strain. We also offer lubricating eye drops and advanced treatments to help with dry eyes, and we can coordinate care with ophthalmologists for options such as cataract surgery.
Visit an Optometrist
Going over symptoms and undergoing regular eye appointments allow your eye doctor to address potential vision issues. We offer multifocal lenses to allow you to perform multiple visual tasks, and we offer prescription sunglasses. To visit an optometrist, schedule an appointment at Collins Eye Center today.
