According to a 2007 survey of 1,000 adults conducted by the American Optometric Association (AOA), nearly half of all adults (47%) worry about vision loss, yet 30% don’t have their eyes checked by an eye doctor – optometrist or ophthalmologist. Another survey, this one conducted by the Center for Disease Control in 2011, found that 40% of adults over the age of 40 avoided the eye doctor in 2010. 35% of these respondents said they skipped their visit with their eye doctor because they had “healthy vision.”
Now what if I told you that an individual with glaucoma can lose as much as 40% of their vision before even noticing any vision loss? Scary, isn’t it? In fact, this is why more than half of the 2.2 million Americans affected by glaucoma are unaware that they even have the eye disease.
What’s even scarier is that once a person begins to lose their vision, the damage is irreversible. This is why the AOA recommends that adults, ages 18-60, have their eyes examined every two years, while adults older than 60 have their eyes examined annually.
Comprehensive Eye Exams at Anne Arundel Eye Center in Annapolis, Maryland
Located in Annapolis, Maryland, Anne Arundel Eye Center (AAEC) is a regional leader in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, cataracts and other eye diseases. Not only does AAEC offer a wide range of advanced procedures to improve and preserve your vision, but board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles is passionate about further educating patients and their families about the eye disease they are afflicted with.
“I treat my patients the way I want to be treated when I see a doctor,” said Dr. Boles.
To learn more about Glaucoma and Comprehensive Eye Exams, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, consultative optometrists Dr. Nathan Frank and Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or click here to visit AnneArundelEyeCenter.com. Staffed by caring and knowledgeable professionals, our state-of-the-art treatment center is dedicated to making the best eye care accessible to everyone.
For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.
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Sources: Many Adults Fuzzy on Eye Health WebMD
My mother has been having a lot of problems bumping into things and has been complaining about her sight. You mentioned that according to a 2007 survey of 1,000 adults conducted by the American Optometric Association, nearly half of all adult (47%) worry about vision loss, yet 30% don’t have their eyes checked by an eye doctor. Do most eye exams help with preventing certain eye diseases? Having her see an eye doctor might be the best option.
This was an interesting read and I had no idea that the numbers were that high for people who have been effected by glaucoma. I’m also really surprised to learn just how much damage glaucoma can do to somebody’s eye. That right there is a reason to do yearly eye exams just so the optometrist has a chance to catch any early signs of glaucoma.