News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
August is national eye exam month and the right time to check your vision.
Dr. Jane Wheeler of Cookeville’s Eye Center of Tennessee said adults should have their eyes examined every two years. Children and adults older than 65 should be evaluated yearly.
“We want you to be able to see good,” Wheeler said. “We want to correct people that do not see good far away or up close or getting headaches. But, we go beyond that. We look at the medical side of things. We look for glaucoma and Macular Degeneration. In children, eye development.”
Wheeler said the first step for your eye health is to simply make an appointment with your local practice. During your first appointment, a doctor would check your eye mobility, pressure and side vision then exam you under a microscope.
“Beyond that, we have a machine called an OCT for people that are in trouble,” Wheeler said. “It is like an MRI for the eye. You can look at the layers of the retina. We can see where that fluid is coming from and how to treat that. The tools in eye care, there are just so many ways.”
Wheeler said patients over 65 are at higher risk for glaucoma and cataracts. Eyes are also key to see if diabetics have damaged blood vessels. Wheeler said she has also seen people not take their blood pressure medicine, which caused bleeding behind the eye. The earlier you catch an eye problem the better since blindness can not be cured.
