Keep an Eye on Your Vision

A regular eye checkup is the best way to do so.

Imagine a world without colours–the clear crystal blue of the sea and brilliant scarlet of velvety roses. The sensory richness provided by one’s sense of sight is so immense that if asked to choose the most vital of their five senses, many would choose the sense of sight.

To this end, a thorough eye care programme is essential so as to preserve one’s vision.

One vital component of a complete eye care programme is regular eye examinations by an ophthalmologist–a medical doctor specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of visual disorders and eye diseases. Tests performed at your neighbourhood optician may not be comprehensive enough in terms of both equipment and expertise.

In his book, “The Complete Eye Care Book”, Dr Tony Ho highlights the five life stages for which eye checkups are especially important. Dr Ho is a consultant ophthalmologist and founding director of Clearvision Eye Clinic and Eye Care Clinic.

Newborn infants

In babies, there is a risk of hereditary and congenital visual disorders, especially those with family histories of squints, infantile cataracts, and glaucoma. Look out for signs like excessive tearing, eye discharge, rubbing of eyes, photophobia (fear of lights), and squints. For infants in high-risk groups, routine paediatric inspections may be insufficient and ophthalmologist attention should be sought swiftly.

Pre-schoolers

Children between three and six may have undetected refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, which can lead to lazy eyes and squints. Dr Ho emphasises
that annual visual acuity and eye alignment checks for children in this age group are essential, as many of these conditions can be treated if diagnosed early.

School-goers

The most common problem among school-going children is nearsightedness, which may lead to poor performance at school.

Post-puberty

At this stage, there is usually little change in refractive error and the chance of eye disease developing is low.

Middle-age (40 years and above)

Far-sightedness is a major problem at this time, as the lens of the eyes start to lose elasticity. Another problem is the steady increase in the incidence of eye disease as people age. Hence, at least one visit to the ophthalmologist annually is advised.

Besides taking note of high-risk age groups, one would also do well to heed medical conditions like diabetes and glaucoma.

It is widely acknowledged that diabetic retinopathy–a disorder of the retinal blood vessels resulting from diabetes mellitus–is one of the leading causes of adult blindness and visual impairment in developed countries. Singapore is no exception.

The same goes for glaucoma, a condition in which the optic nerve is damaged by excessive fluid pressure within the eyeball. It accounts for 40% of blindness in Singapore, according to the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped.

As with all health matters, prevention is better than cure. Early detection may just save your sight!

A full eye exam

A comprehensive eye examination should include the following:

•   Visual acuity check (sharpness of vision)

•   Checks for eye power or degree of vision

•   Eye pressure checks

•   Examination of front visible parts of the eye, like the cornea, iris, and crystalline lens (using illuminated microscope)

•   Dilated pupil examination to check on retina

Other eye tests include:

•   Colour blindness

•   Cornea thickness measurement

•   Stereo vision test

•   Visual field test

•  Prism test for angle of squints