Eye Exams and the Health of Your Mind and Body
Everyone's heard the adage that "the eyes are the window to the soul." But did you know that they can also be a primary window into the overall health of your body and mind?
A comprehensive eye exam with our Grove City eye doctors at Grove City Vision Center can play an important role in the early detection of systemic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, and may help ward off depression and other emotional and psychological conditions.
Eye Exams and Whole-Body Health
Health care statistics indicate that people are as much as 3 times more likely to schedule a yearly eye exam for themselves and their children than a visit to their physician for a routine physical. This makes it much more likely that the very first indications of serious health conditions will be found during the course of a routine eye exam.
Systemic issues that can often be detected by your local optometrist include:
- Diabetes
- Cancer (certain kinds)
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Heart disease
- Multiple sclerosis
These conditions are often detected by evaluating the blood vessels inside the eye for damage or plaque build-up, and checking for bleeding in the retina or other internal eye structures.
Healthy Eyes and Mental/Emotional Health
Annual comprehensive eye exams are also an important part of maintaining your family's mental and emotional health, since vision deeply impacts general wellbeing.
For children, eye exams ensure that they're meeting their developmental milestones and are able to see what's going on in school and at play. Being unable to see what's written on the classroom board or to catch a ball due to poor eyesight can affect a child's self-esteem.
In a person's 50's, 60's, and 70's, conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts become much more prevalent. Multiple studies have linked vision loss to depression and increased risk of conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
Want to learn more about how our Grove City eye doctors can help keep your body and mind healthy? Come visit Grove City Vision Center, or give us a call at (614) 875-8373, today.