Annual eye exams are one of those things that are very easy to forget about and put off almost forever. You know how it goes—you get so busy running around and completing everything on your checklist that you forget to schedule that annual eye exam for your elderly loved one. There’s no better time to set up an appointment for your aging loved one. Eye health is important and shouldn’t be overlooked as part of a comprehensive elderly care plan.A basic eye exam by an eye doctor reveals a lot about the eye health of the patient. Seniors are more susceptible to eye conditions and are actually at higher risk for vision problems from year to year. Keeping an annual eye exam can give eye doctors a chance to identify issues related to aging early so that treatments can take place sooner and are more effective. Don’t wait to schedule an eye exam for your aging loved one until they mention something is amiss because many vision issues develop without any real physical symptoms that non-professionals would ever notice.
During the eye examination, the eye doctor will look at several different areas of your elderly loved one’s eyes. An eye exam is much more than just checking whether or not they need new glasses. It’s a comprehensive eye health checkup that helps an aging loved one stay ahead of any eye-related health problems.
Here are just a few of the things that an eye doctor will look at as part of an elderly care eye appointment:
- Corrective lenses: If your elderly loved one wears corrective lenses, the annual eye exam will help the eye doctor determine whether they need a new prescription to keep their vision as sharp as possible. Sometimes the prescription can change, even after several years of remaining the same.
- Eyelid health: Eyelids are a key part of keeping the eyes healthy, and if they aren’t functioning properly it can lead to health problems like dry eye or infections.
- Eye muscles: The eye doctor will make sure the muscles of both eyes are working together and that the pupils respond to light properly.
- Vision problems: From simple to complex, there are a number of vision problems that can take place like astigmatism, glaucoma, presbyopia, cataracts, macular degeneration and more.
- Fluid pressure: With a puff of air from a machine, the eye doctor can test an elderly person’s eyes to make sure the fluid pressure inside the eye is where it should be.
- Eyeball health: After dilating the eyes, the eye doctor can see to the back of the eye to the retina and optic nerve and check them for good health.
Source:
http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/vision-problems-aging-adults#1
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED-ONE ARE CONSIDERING HIRING IN-HOME ELDERLY CARE IN DEARBORN PARK, IL, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE CHICAGO. CALL TODAY: 312.382.8888.