October is Eye Awareness Month, and what better way to celebrate it than to go for an eye test. Northsider reporters visited Strubens Valley optometrist Candice Halstead and enjoyed a painless and informative consultation.
The process began with a general medical history run-through. Halstead explained that this is important since “some systemic conditions can affect your eyesight and many medicines can affect your quality of vision”.
She said the frequency of how often one needs to test their eyes depends on numerous factors. “Most eye care practitioners will tell you that they would like to see you annually. Should you have no significant eyesight problems, every second year should be the longest intervals between eye examinations.” Halstead also explained that age plays a role. “As we get older and age-related eye conditions become a risk factor in our lives, it is of vital importance to be checked every year.”
Studies have shown that one in four children of school age and one in 20 pre-primary children suffer from visual problems that could affect their academic performance.
Early detection is vital, and it is essential that children are examined by a qualified eye care practitioner shortly after birth, again at about six months, just before entering school (about five to six years), and thereafter at regular intervals throughout their school careers.
Vision disorders explained:
Myopia (shortsightedness): In this condition, light entering the eye is focused in front of the retina (back membrane of the eye). This makes close images sharp and clear but distant ones blurred. For example, watching TV or reading road signs would be difficult while close-up work like reading is not necessarily a problem.
Hyperopia (farsightedness): In contrast to myopia, light entering the eye focuses behind the retina, making distant objects sharp and clear but close ones blurred. For example, a computer screen will be blurred but looking up at colleagues a few meters away will be clear.
Astigmatism: As a result of an irregularly shaped cornea or intra-ocular lens (lens found inside the eye), light coming into the eye focuses on two different spots making images distorted. This is usually explained as “your eye is more oval in shape than perfectly round.”
