Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Health Watch, we've been talking about protecting your eyes and your vision. How long has it been since you've had an eye exam? A study from the National Institutes of Health has estimated that more than 10 million Americans have some kind of uncorrected vision problem.
Dr. Dwight Cavanaugh, an ophthalmologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says finding potential vision problems and getting them corrected with glasses or contact lenses is one reason you should have regular eye exam. There are also vision-threatening diseases such as glaucoma that are more treatable if they're diagnosed early. People under the age of 50 should have an eye exam every two years, even if they don't wear glasses or contact lenses. People older than 50 and those who have diabetes should have an annual exam. Children should have their eyes tested before they enter kindergarten.
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Novmber 2006
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