Your eyes are more than just the “window to the soul.” They provide valuable insight into your health and have the power to radically improve your quality of life.
Eye exams covered by Alberta Health
Fortunately, most insurance companies help cover the cost of yearly eye exams. Alberta Health provides coverage for annual comprehensive eye exams until the age of 19, and also for seniors 65 and older. In addition, if you have a medically necessary visit to a doctor of optometry, such as for eye infections, eye injuries or sudden changes in vision, these are also covered for all Albertans regardless of age.
Scheduling an annual exam can detect potential health problems
It is important to check on the health of your eyes and how it relates to the rest of your body. Many of us take our eyesight completely for granted. We expect to open our eyes each morning and take on the day without any visual problems. Without those regular eye exams, this can change pretty quickly. It doesn’t take long for your eyesight to deteriorate when you’re dealing with conditions like macular degeneration or an undiagnosed issue.
Taking advantage of that yearly eye exam is about more than just making sure you can see for the next 364 days, it’s about making sure that you can see for the rest of your life. Catching problems early can prevent small problems from turning into life-changing circumstances.
Your eye doctor will be looking for SIGNS OF these common CONDITIONS
During your yearly eye exam, your optometrist is looking for more than just changes to your eyesight. They’re looking at what these changes mean, what’s causing them, and the way that your eyes are interacting with the rest of your body. These are just a few of the conditions that they can be found early with regular checkups:
Cancer: Optometrists have the opportunity to look at the back of the eye. This can give them a preview of potential brain tumors that are reaching the back of the eye. This early diagnosis can help to catch these tumors before they become inoperable.
Diabetes: Diabetic retinopathy is one of the first symptoms of type II diabetes. This involves a small amount of bleeding within the eye that can only be seen with an optometrist’s sensitive tools. Catching this early can help you to start treatment before the problem progresses dangerously.
Crohn’s Disease/Ulcerative Colitis Your optometrist can evaluate swelling of the eye that’s sometimes associated with autoimmune diseases. Frequent bouts of iritis can be a common precursor.
High Blood Pressure: The back of your eye can give doctors an idea of how vessels and other areas of the body are interacting. This means that your optometrist can also detect high blood pressure and the early stages of heart disease.
Choose a Thorough and Experienced Eye Doctor in Edmonton - Contact The Optometrists’ Clinic Inc!
It’s important to find an optometrist that you can trust and that you’re totally comfortable with. An excellent eye doctor will take the time to ask about any current issues you are experiencing, and they’ll provide a comprehensive eye exam. This means looking at the back of your eye, taking the necessary images, and making sure that your eyesight is up to par. Don’t let those yearly eye exams go unscheduled! Contact the Optometrists’ Clinic Inc to schedule an appointment at a location near you in the Greater Edmonton Area today.