Senior Eye Care Fresno

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Eye exams are especially important for seniors. Since older adults are at a higher risk for eye problems and diseases, seniors should have eye exams regularly. Early detection and treatment can reduce any risk of blindness or further eye complications. Routine eye exams and senior eye care is important for each senior and aging adult.

Seniors ages 65 or older should have complete eye exams each year in order to reduce the risk of eye problems. If your senior loved one has not seen the eye doctor lately, it is recommended that you make an appointment soon. Even if your senior loved one does not complain about having eye problems or any trouble seeing, you should still make an appointment for the senior at least once every year. A senior may not have obvious symptoms of eye disease, but most eye disease progress slowly. Almost half of the seniors that have the eye disease glaucoma do not know that they have that eye disease.
Some seniors will need to have more frequent eye exams, possible more than once per year, if they have medical conditions, have diabetes, are on certain medications, had a serious eye injury in ...
... the past, is at risk for glaucoma, or has a family history of eye disease. The seniors physician can let you know which medication will require more frequent eye exams and check-ups.

Eye exams are often done by an eye care provider. Your primary care physician can give you a referral to an eye doctor. If you are caring for a senior with an eye disease, you will want to have them go to an eye doctor that specializes in low-vision services. Eye exams are not painful, but often times seniors find the exam to be intimidating. The senior may need a caregivers support and company when going to the eye doctor for their exam. The senior should know what to expect at the eye doctor, but you should always give your senior loved one a brief explanation before their eye exam, even if they have had exams in the past. During the exam the eye doctor may ask about the seniors health and if they have been having any symptoms or signs of problems. The doctor will look at the outside area of the eyes, and will use a Snellen chart to test how well the senior can see letters that are small and large.

The eye doctor will do a refraction assessment to examine how light waves are bent as they pass the cornea and lens of the eye. If the senior has refraction problems, this may cause nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia. The refraction test uses a light that is shined into the eyes and a device that the doctor will use to rate the lenses and how the senior can see in each lens. Then the eye doctor will test the peripheral vision. The doctor can do this test several different ways, but most commonly the eye doctor will move his hand in front of the seniors face and to the side in order to know if the senior sees with their side vision. The eye doctor will show the senior multicolored dots that form numbers to test for colorblindness, and they will have the senior move their eyes in specific directions to evaluate the seniors eye muscles. With a slit lamp, the eye doctor examines the eyes by magnifying the inner most parts of the eyes. The doctor puts dye in the eye in order to more easily detect tiny tears or scratches, infections, or any objects. Eventually the dye gets washed out of the eyes by the eyes tears and moisture. The eye doctor will use eye drops to dilate the eyes in order to see into the back of the eye. Then, the doctor will test for glaucoma, which is usually a puff of air into the eye to see how light reflections change as air hits the eyeball. The eye doctor may need to do other various tests if the senior has other issues.

If your senior loved one is having trouble seeing or any other problems, you will want to make eye doctor appointments in between scheduled eye appointments. There may be unusual symptoms such as: seeing floaters or flashes of light, serious infection or corneal abrasion which comes off as allergies or something in the eye, or vision loss. If the senior has a change in the appearance of their eye, it is important to call the eye doctor right away. If there is a change in the ability to see, such as double vision, difficulty focusing, sensitivity to light, loss of vision, wavy straight lines, or trouble distinguishing colors, you should make an appointment with an eye care physician. Twitches, squinting, blinking frequently, tripping on things, trouble distinguishing faces or signs, or starting to wear mismatched clothing can all be signs of vision loss or eye problems.

If the senior is noticing changes, or vision problems that are out of the ordinary, they should make an appointment with their eye care doctor. It is important to have healthy eyes, especially as we age. Make sure you understand the procedure and allow your senior loved one to feel comfortable at the eye doctors. Safety and wellness go hand in hand when senior age, make sure your senior loved one is taking good care of their health and wellness by visiting the eye doctor at least once a year.