How To Be Your Own Advocate with Your Vision & Eye Care
What’s your plan for your vision and eye care? If this question made you pause or scratch your head, you’re not alone. A lot of people get their eyes checked when they experience itchiness, pain or need to update their prescription. But there is immense value in approaching your eye care more proactively. Doing so requires you to become your own health advocate. Here’s how to take on this important role for you and your family.
Schedule Eye Exams
The first step in advocating for your eye health is to plan regular eye exams. Adults should see an eye doctor every year, unless told otherwise, and your kids should too. Even if your children have their vision checked at school or at their pediatrician’s office, those are typically in the form of vision tests and not very comprehensive. Around age five, your kids should see a dedicated eye doctor, like us, every year just like you do to monitor not only vision but also eye health. Kids with eye problems, between birth and age five, should see a pediatric ophthalmologist who is equipped to see little ones.
Seek Validation
When you find a helpful eye doctor, you should be able to trust their advice. But it’s also important to conduct your own research about your eye health, and make sure you’re fully on board with proposed treatment plans. If in doubt about a diagnosis or a recommended course of action, you can always come to Horizon for a second opinion.
It’s also a good rule of thumb to look into your eye doctor’s education and affiliations, along with the number of procedures they’ve performed (if applicable). Doing so will either give you great confidence in their abilities, or alert you to red flags. If you can’t find what you’re looking for online, you can contact an eye care center to ask about their doctors. For example, we’re always more than happy to tell patients about our world class eye doctors and what makes them so qualified.
When you’re looking for an “eye doctor near me” or want to take charge of your eye health, we’re here for you. Contact us today to ask about our exams or any other questions you may have.