Assessing someone’s vision is just a small part of a full eye exam. True, things may seem like they’re functioning well, but sometimes an underlying issue is waiting to take over.
On top of visual assessment, we verify that the muscles and the nerves that control the eye are not limited in any way. This may help alleviate some headaches and fatigue if there’s an imbalance. We also make sure that the pupils react properly and equally to light stimulation. Any changes at this level may indicate a problem in the brain itself. Let’s not forget the eye health. Several diabetics and people with high blood pressure are asymptomatic, and only find out there’s an issue when we spot changes in the retina (the inside of the eye). They are immediately sent to their family doctor for prompt treatment, as things are headed in a bad direction. There are plenty of other diseases (eye tumour…) and structural abnormalities (retinal tear, anyone?) that can be found and taken care of before the eyesight is compromised. So, yes, even though the vision is still fine, it is to your advantage to have your eyes checked on a regular basis. This way, you can avoid heading from disaster to complete catastrophe. After all, you can’t go to the eyeball store to get a new set.