An Eye Test Could Save Your Life!

When it comes to life-saving medical appointments, a visit to your optometrist is probably not the first that comes to mind. However, did you know that signs in your eyes could be the first signal of a life-threatening condition?

A routine eye exam will typically check your visual acuity (the sharpness of your sight), your prescription, your eye pressures, and include an examination of your eyes under a purpose-built microscope and light system, known as a slit lamp. Other tests your optometrist may include in a routine check-up could also involve checking your pupil reactions and how well your eyes can move in different directions.

It may come as a shock to you, but your eyes are connected to the rest of your body! (Gasp!). This means that diseases that affect other parts of your body have the potential to also show up in the eye. Your regular eye test can pick up clues to diseases such as:

• Diabetes
• An impending stroke
• Brain tumours
• Hypertension
• Cancer in other areas of the body, including the lung and breast
• Elevated cholesterol

Although not all these conditions mean that you’re about to drop to the floor at any moment, they’re not diseases you want to ignore. So, the next time you’re tempted to ignore our recall letter, remember – your eye test could be about more than just your eyes!

Obviously if you are worried about any of the things that you have read about here we can answer any questions you may have.

Give the Outlook Eye Centre team a call on (07) 4635 8844