Why is a follow-up inspection necessary?
Many eye diseases require monitoring over time: whether the intraocular pressure has decreased on the prescribed drops for glaucoma, whether the cornea has healed after erosion, whether therapy helps with inflammation. The doctor compares the current indicators with the initial ones and adjusts the treatment. Skipping follow-up visits for glaucoma is especially dangerous: the disease does not produce symptoms, and vision loss is irreversible.
What is included in a full ophthalmological examination?
- visometry - determination of visual acuity with and without correction
- tonometry - measurement of intraocular pressure
- biomicroscopy - examination of the cornea, iris and lens at the slit lamp
- ophthalmoscopy - examination of the retina, optic nerve head and fundus vessels
Why is the fundus checked not only by an ophthalmologist?
The fundus of the eye is the only place in the body where the vessels are directly visible, without incisions or devices. Therefore, an examination by an ophthalmologist is prescribed for hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease and during pregnancy: changes in the vessels of the retina show what is happening to the vessels of the whole body.
In case of diabetes, such an examination is required at least once a year: diabetic retinopathy is asymptomatic for a long time, and at a late stage, vision is lost irreversibly.
How often to get your eyes checked
For adults without complaints - once every 1-2 years, after 40 years annually (the risk of glaucoma increases with age). For children - before school and then annually, since myopia most often develops and progresses during school years.