May is Healthy Vision Month. At Collins Vision, we love to talk about all things eyes any time of the year, but this gives us a great opportunity to talk about the simple steps everyone can take to protect their vision and make sure their eyes are healthy for a lifetime!
If you want to live a healthy life, taking care of your eyes needs to be a priority, just like exercise, healthy eating and getting enough sleep. So much more than having your vision checked to see if you need glasses or contacts, a comprehensive eye exam can detect many eye conditions and diseases that can cause vision loss; things like:
● Glaucoma
● Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
An annual eye exam with dilation can also assist in the early detection of conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. The earlier these conditions are detected, the earlier treatment can be started – and this could save your sight!
At Collins Vision, we want you to live your best life in every season with the vision you deserve. Our experienced clinical team is skilled in diagnosing and treating each of the above-mentioned eye conditions.
How Often Should I Have a Comprehensive Eye Exam?
In most cases, we recommend a comprehensive eye exam with dilation once a year. And more frequently depending on your risk factors. Even if you can see with no problems, and your vision is what you would consider “normal”, an annual comprehensive eye exam is an important part of maintaining the health of your eyes as well as your overall health, for a lifetime.
See the Difference in Your Golden Years with Good (Eye) Health
There’s no doubt cataracts impact the health of seniors, and the answer to when is the right time for cataract surgery is a very individual one. Most experts agree that when a cataract begins to negatively affect your life and your daily activities, it may be time to consider cataract surgery.
We’ve all had to postpone all kinds of things in the last year. But if cataracts are affecting your daily life, we’d like to propose that cataract surgery isn’t one of those things you should put off. Even though it’s considered elective surgery, continuing to live with cataracts can actually put your health at risk.
5 Reasons NOT to Postpone Cataract Surgery
1. Clear vision is crucial for safety. Seniors are more at risk of falling if their vision is diminished by cataracts. Also, driving (especially at night) is more dangerous if you have cataracts.
2. Cataracts worsen over time, which makes them more difficult to remove.
3. Left untreated, cataracts can result in vision loss.
4. Cataract surgery at Collins Vision is performed at our trusted ambulatory surgery center St. Mark’s Surgical Center. Unlike hospitals, ASCs don’t treat sick people, and they’re held to very high safety standards.
5. And lastly, Collins Vision is taking every precaution to ensure your safety.
With more than two million cataract surgeries performed annually, cataract surgery is among the safest and most successful surgeries performed today. Our happy patient family is continuously growing, and we’d love for you to join it!
LASIK is a Healthy Choice
Speaking of Healthy Vision Month, experts have agreed for years that LASIK is a healthy choice, and several studies have shown it to be a safer vision-correcting solution than long-term negligent contact use because of a link between contact lenses and increased eye infections.
Just last year, the American Academy of Ophthalmology published recommendations for pandemic-related eye safety, including how to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection and best practices for contact lens wearers. Recommendations included ways to properly clean, store and wear lenses, but more notable was the suggestion to get rid of the contacts completely. Why?
Since one of the main CDC recommendations is to avoid touching your eyes, it makes sense that not wearing contacts would help with that. Takeaway: glasses are better than contacts if you’re concerned about eye health, but LASIK is better still.
At Collins Vision, the health and wellbeing of every patient we see are now and always have been our top priorities. We love to talk to people about the freedom and convenience LASIK offers. Your no-obligation, free LASIK consultation will answer any question you may have about whether LASIK is right for you. And Dr. Michael Collins will personally examine your eyes, review the test results, discuss your personal goals for your vision, and present his recommendation.
See the Difference With the Vision You Deserve
From comprehensive eye care and management of eye diseases to laser vision correction and Refractive Cataract Surgery, we want to be your go-to source for eye health in Southwest Florida.
At Collins Vision, we do things a little differently, and it’s all about you. We are driven to be the very best because being “good” is not good enough. As protectors of our patients’ most important sense—their sight—we are privileged to elevate lives and health by elevating vision. We’d be honored to serve you.
