I have diabetes but my eyes haven’t changed, do I still need have my eyes tested?

Name: Scrivens Opticians and Hearing
Rating: 4.6

Yes, you should make sure you have your eyes checked as frequently as your Optician recommends. People with diabetes are susceptible to certain eye conditions and your eye test will be able to spot if any of these develop. If you have diabetes all your eye tests will be free under the NHS.

Why do I need to wear sunglasses?

Your eyes are vulnerable to harmful UV light, just like your skin. Wearing sunglasses will help you avoid any potential damage. Protecting your eyes from UV light can also slow the onset of cataracts.

My eyesight seems to be worse recently, should I be worried?

If there has been a sudden deterioration in your vision, or you have experienced visual distortions, such as tunnel vision or flashing lights, then you should see your Optician or GP as soon as possible. It may not be anything to worry about but should be investigated just in case it is something more serious.

My eyes are sore and uncomfortable, what should I do?

Visit your Optician at your earliest opportunity. They will be able to find out what’s wrong and recommend a solution, or refer you to your GP if necessary.

Should I be worried about eye conditions?

If your eyes are healthy and you are having regular eye tests, you don’t need to worry unless you experience changes in your vision or eyes in general. If you have a family history of any eye condition, you should let your Optician know, and they can then keep an eye on you to make sure they spot any problems straight away. See the information about common eye conditions for more information.

Why do I need regular eye tests if I don’t need glasses or contact lenses?

Even if you don’t have a prescription, you can still suffer from certain eye conditions, and as well as measuring how well you can see, your eye test will also check the health of your eyes and spot any potential problems.

How often should I have my eyes tested?

Here at Scrivens Opticians, we get asked many questions about eye health, but one question that pops up most frequently is: “how often should I get my eyes tested?” so we’ve put together a little information page to help answer this common question.

So how often should you have your eyes tested?

The short answer is every 2 years.

Even if you don’t need glasses it’s important to have your eyes checked every two years. You may not be suffering from any eye health problems at the moment, but a regular check-up can detect any underlying problems early on as well as any changes to your vision.

Conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma can all be detected with an eye test. If they are spotted earlier on they can be treated more effectively.

However, an eye test does much more than detect problems with vision; it can also detect medical problems such as high blood pressureand diabetes. In these cases, your optometrist will notice changes to the blood vessels at the back of your eyes and refer you to your GP if they find anything that may need addressing.

Optometrists also recommend that children under 16 have their eyestested annually. This is to help diagnose problems (if any) early. The sooner problems are detected the greater the chance of developing optimal vision.

Your optometrist may recommend that you have eye tests more frequently, if for example, you have a history of eye problems. Optometrists also recommend that people over 70 years should have their eyes tested once a year.

To recap;

Children under 16 years of age should have their eyes tested once a year.

Adults should have their eyes tested once every two years.

Adults over 70 should have their eyes tested once a year.

For more information on eye tests, click here.

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