It shouldn’t be only athletes who have a comprehensive healthcare team – you should have one, too. This comprises your primary care physician (PCP), a gynecologist for women and a urologist for men, and an eye doctor. You might also have various specialists for any underlying health conditions you have, such as an endocrinologist for diabetes.
Visiting an ophthalmologist regularly is imperative in ensuring your overall wellness because the physician is checking much more than just your eye health. Let’s talk about how an eye doctor can detect and address overall health issues, and where you can go in Washington, Missouri, to see an experienced eye doctor who can help you stay healthy.
How an Eye Doctor Helps to Maintain Vision Health and Total Wellness
An ophthalmologist will perform a comprehensive eye exam in which they will check your eyes for any unusual issues. Many diseases show early symptoms in the eyes, and this doctor will notify you and provide recommendations if anything is caught during your eye checkup.
The following are some tests that your eye doctor may perform during a comprehensive eye exam:
Eye Muscle Movement Test
To check your eyes’ alignment and focus, your eye doctor will ask you to keep your head still and follow a target with your eyes. They will watch your eyes’ movement while you move your eyes in different directions while following the target.
Muscle weakness in the eyes can be an indicator of a systemic muscular problem in the body, so your ophthalmologist will explain anything that was discovered in this test.
Slit Lamp Test
Also known as a biomicroscope, a slit lamp is an instrument that helps your doctor examine external and internal parts of the eye in detail. A slit lamp magnifies and illuminates the front of your eye so the ophthalmologist can check your iris, cornea, lens, retina, blood vessels, and optic nerves.
This enables your eye doctor to evaluate any preliminary signs of eye issues such as cataracts, macular degeneration, or retinal detachment, as well as issues such as optic neuritis, which can indicate multiple sclerosis.
Cover Test
During a cover test, each of your eyes will be covered and uncovered so the eye doctor can see how well each eye focuses on a distant object in the exam room – and how your eye moves. This test can help to identify strabismus, which is a misalignment of the eyes.
Visual Acuity Test
In this test, your vision will be measured using a Snellen Eye Chart or something similar. Each of your eyes will be covered one by one, and you will read the letters (using the uncovered eye) that are displayed or projected onto the opposite wall across the exam room.
The letters start large and become smaller, so the doctor can determine how well you can focus at a distance. If you wear glasses or contact lenses to see objects at a distance, you will be asked to wear them for this test.
If this test determines that you have less than 20/20 vision even while wearing your glasses or contact lenses, your prescription will probably be changed to greater strength to give you the vision that is as perfect as possible.
Eye Wellness Exams in Washington, MO
If you’re looking for a skilled and experienced eye doctor, the medical team at Advanced Sight Center is here for you in Washington, Missouri. You will receive a comprehensive eye exam to determine your eye health and overall health and to help you achieve and maintain 20/20 vision.
Call our staff today at (636) 239-1650 to schedule an eye exam, or fill out our appointment request form online now. We look forward to seeing you!
