My BasketWhat Does An Optometrist Do?
Optometrists are well known for being your go-to for eye health. What is less well-known, however, is what exactly optometrists can do for you, which problems they help treat, what products they offer, and how you know you should see an optometrist versus your GP or an ophthalmologist (eye surgeon).
The name of this medical speciality is derived from the Greek word ophthalmos, meaning eye. Your optometrist can assess, diagnose, treat and manage problems with and conditions affecting the eyes and support your optimal health with their extensive knowledge of how and why eye problems arise their connection to underlying health conditions, and much more. As such, your optometrist also plays a major educational role in helping you understand what a certain problem or diagnosis means for your life and your future eye health.
How Does An Optometrist Help You?
Much like how a dentist specialises in oral health and a podiatrist specialises in foot and leg health, optometrists are your frontline leaders in eye health and your first port of call for any eye concerns.
Your Stacey & Stacey optometrist can help you address vision concerns and diagnose the current quality of your vision using comprehensive eye exams, correct blurry vision, prescribe custom glasses, fit contact lenses, monitor the effects of your medical conditions on your eye health, provide vision therapy and other low-vision aids, and much more.
Your optometrist will also complete all the testing to diagnose a range of eye problems such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, conjunctivitis, digital eye strain, eye infections - to name a few.
Your optometrist stays with you throughout your eye health and recovery journey through any eye and vision changes that occur, and helps make sure you’re getting the best care at every step - including the right referrals if a vision exam detects something unexpected.
What Eye Problems Can Optometrists Treat?
Optometrists have knowledge and experience in managing a broad scope of eye problems. Some of the most common ones we see include:
- Blurred vision or other vision disturbances: these are also known as refractive errors, which can make objects appear blurry such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (blurry vision for both near and far), presbyopia (mature vision), and amblyopia (lazy eye)
- Conjunctivitis in children and adults: common in childcare settings and often referred to as pink eye, conjunctivitis can either be bacterial, or may be triggered by allergens such as animals or pollen, or viruses. Conjunctivitis causes the eye to redden, weep, form a crust, and it may feel itchy or painful
- UV eye damage: much like our skin, the cells in our eyes can be easily damaged from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation
- Dry eyes: this can happen when your eyes either don’t make enough tears, or when your eyes don’t make high-quality tears to keep your eyes nourished and moisturised
- Glaucoma: a disease that damages the optic nerve that sends signals from the eye to the brain
- Age-related macular degeneration: which occurs due to ageing, causing the light-sensitive tissue in your eyes break down over time
- Cataracts: occurring within the lens of your eye, this leads to gradual cloudiness and loss of vision
- Diabetic retinopathy: which occurs as a complication of diabetes, damaging the blood vessels in the back of the eye
- Colour vision deficiency: also known as colour blindness, those affected see colours differently than most other people, though they may not know it.
An Eye Exam Is Recommended Every 1-2 Years
Eye examinations with an optometrist are recommended every two years here in Australia,[1] and every year if you’re over 65. This is regardless of whether you wear glasses or have any eye problems or concerns. Given that up to 90% of all vision loss is preventable, making this appointment is crucial for some to catch eye problems in their early stages - long before the effect has been severe enough for you to see or notice a disturbance in your vision.
For those whose vision is degenerating, your optometrist may give you a custom plan that includes eye checks at more frequent intervals, where they will use their comprehensive knowledge paired with digital tools to help track subtle changes in your eyes over time, and pick up on any new or progressing concerns as soon as they arise. This means you can begin potentially vision-saving treatment as early as possible.
Signs You Should Book An Optometrist Appointment Promptly
Signs of eye irritation or problems to look out for include having eye pain, blurry or double vision, seeing circles that look like halos around lights, having red or irritated eyes, seeing floaters in your eyes, and seeing flashes of light. If you’re experiencing any of these signs and you haven’t seen your optometrist this year, we recommend you book an appointment. Generally, if something feels off and is abnormal to you, have your eyes checked.
Throughout your appointments, your optometrist will also be tracking eye features and symptoms over time, often working with people who:
- Have a family history of eye disease
- Are in an occupation that is visually demanding or hazardous to the eyes
- Have reduced vision in one eye
- Wear contact lenses
- Have had previous eye surgery or injury
An Appointment With A Stacey & Stacey Optometrist
During your eye exam with your Stacey & Stacey eye health professional, we use a gentle approach combined with innovative medical technology including Digital Retinal Photography and Optical Coherence Tomography scans, to go beyond simply assessing eyesight and help to identify diseases and conditions as early as possible. Your comprehensive exam may include:
- Going through your personal and family health history, detailing when your symptoms began, medications you’re taking, work and environmental factors, and more
- Visual acuity measurements using reading charts to assess exactly how clearly each eye can see
- Tests of your eye health which may include depth perception, colour vision, peripheral (side) vision and how your pupils respond to light
- Assessments to measure which power of lens you require to correct near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism
- Eye focusing, eye teaming and eye movement activities to examine how well your eyes focus, move and work together
- Eye health examination using a range of technologies to detect underlying conditions
After your exam is completed, your optometrist will be able to discuss your diagnosis and treatment plan options with you to protect your eye health, best correct your eyesight, and help give you the freedom to do the things you love.
Here at Stacey & Stacey optometrists across our Queensland clinics, our team is proud to offer targeted care for a wide range of conditions. Every treatment plan is designed uniquely for your needs, preferences, and to help optimise your quality of life, and our optometrist will be able to refer you to an ophthalmologist, or eye doctor specialising in surgery, for more complex treatment, if needed.
To explore our range of expert professional services across our wide range of optometry services, explore our website, or to book your appointment, contact one of your local clinics here.
[1] https://www.visionaustralia.org/information/eye-health/eye-care