Why You Should Add Eye Tests To Your Regular Check-Ups

Many people are happy to turn up at the doctor’s and the dentist’s every 6 months for a well-woman or well-man clinic, or for a general check-up with a scale and polish, just to make sure that everything is ok. But how many people go to see their optician the recommended once every two years? Are you one of them, or do you assume that because you think you can see clearly that everything is ok?

There are lots of reasons to make sure that you go for that check-up every two years. If you live in Scotland then you have no excuse not to make that optician’s appointment because eye tests in Scotland are free. Specsdirect2u have four practices in the Glasgow area that offer appointments that can be easily made by ringing the preferred practice and arranging a suitable time and date. While most people are able to get to one of the friendly local practices, some people can’t. This is why Specsdirect2u offer home eye tests for people who are not able to attend a Practice.

So, why all this fuss? Well, unlike the rest of the body there is often little or no indication when serious problems are developing within your eye. You may perhaps note that your eyesight is a little bit blurrier than it used to be, but how many of you would simply put that down to a natural part of the aging process and decide to deal with it later when it stops you doing things? Or perhaps you actually see no changes to your normal eyesight whatsoever.

The thing is that eye diseases can cause very fast degradation of the eye and in many cases once the eyesight is gone it cannot be retrieved. Conditions such as glaucoma, macular holes, macular degeneration, cataracts and hypertension can all be detected by your optician and the sooner a problem is detected, the sooner it can be treated.

Of course there are also other less serious vision defects that can be simply and effectively corrected with lenses. Some changes in eyesight can be so gradual that you may not notice that you can no longer see signposts clearly when you are driving, which means that you not only put yourself, but also others around you at risk.

There are some people who should have their eyes examined more often. Children under the age of 16 are susceptible to relatively rapid changes in their eyesight and so they should be in the group that has their eyes tested once a year in order to make sure that they have the right prescription to ensure that they can see clearly. Other people who should have annual eye tests are anyone with a family history of glaucoma, people over 60 and also anyone who is diabetic.

Of course if you notice changes in your eyes you should make an appointment to have your eyes examined straight away. It may be nothing but the natural aging process, but if it is something more sinister you could be saving your eyesight by acting so quickly.

So if you live in Scotland, make the most of a free eye test at a local, friendly practice. If you are in the Glasgow area then give Specsdirect2u a call and arrange your eye test today.

Specsdirect2u are an Independent Opticians based in Glasgow, Scotland.  We have 4 Optical Practices, the details are listed in the left hand side of this blog (top screen) with address and telephone number. 

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