From getting up in the morning to when we get to bed at night, our eyes constantly work. During these times, our eyes are exposed to harmful rays from electronics, UV rays of the sun, environmental pollutants, and many more things that can damage our eyes.
One best way to reduce eye damage risk is to see an ophthalmologist regularly. Surprisingly, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, only 50% US population sees an ophthalmologist regularly. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor with advanced education and training in diagnosing, treating, and preventing eye issues and eye-related systemic diseases.
Let’s talk about the numerous benefits of seeing an ophthalmologist regularly and where you can find the best ophthalmologist in Washington, MO.
They Offer Preventive Care
An ophthalmologist is your best resource for preventive care. Preventive care for eyes involves adopting healthy habits and seeking regular eye exams.
Healthy eye habits your eye doctor can recommend include:
- Protecting your eyes from UV rays.
- Practicing healthy eating.
- Giving your eye regular breaks.
- Staying hydrated.
- Avoiding smoking
Additionally, an eye doctor offers regular comprehensive eye exams to evaluate your overall eye health as a part of preventive care. During these comprehensive eye exams, they perform several tests to assess your eye health and vision. These tests will check for signs of focusing problems, vision problems, and refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
They Provide Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Diseases
An eye doctor is trained to diagnose and treat a full range of eye conditions and diseases,including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and corneal and retinal disorders.
To diagnose your unique eye disease, your eye doctor will evaluate your family medical history of eye disease and your eye-related symptoms. They will also perform various tests to reach the underlying cause of your eye problem. Your eye doctor will recommend surgical or non-surgical treatments based on your diagnosis.
You Can Get Specialized Care
An ophthalmologist can specialize in specific areas of eye care,which allowsthem to treat more specific or complex diseases of different parts of the eyes. An eye doctor can specialize in the cornea, retina, glaucoma, pediatric ophthalmology, neuro-ophthalmology, ocular oncology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery for eyes.
They Can Detect Systemic Diseases Early
Indeed, our eyes are a window to our health. They can reflect your general well-being and help detect many system health issues early on. Changes in the optical blood vessels, inflammation of the eyes, and other abnormalities in the eyes can help an eye doctor detect underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis, and cancer.
They Have Surgical Expertise
Ophthalmologists are trained to perform surgeries on the eyes and surrounding structures. The most common eye surgeries your eye doctor can perform include cataract surgery, vitreoretinal surgery, trabeculectomy refractive surgeries like LASIK surgery and PRK, among others.
Ophthalmologist in Washington, MO
If you are looking for a reputable ophthalmologist for your eye care in and around Washington, MO, look no further. At Advanced Sight Center, we have board-certified ophthalmologists and optometrists on board who have built an excellent reputation for providing top-notch eye and vision care services to people of all ages. Our ophthalmologists are experts in providing both surgical and nonsurgical treatments for a full range of eye issues.
If you would like to make an appointment, call us today at one of our convenient locations in Washington or Missouri, or fill out our online appointment request form.
