Far too often, people will put off having an eye exam until they decide to get new eyewear or detect a change in their vision. Comprehensive exams help spot potentially serious eye problems early on, when treatment can still slow or prevent vision loss.
A newstudy发表在美国验光学会杂志上验光和视觉科学，报道说，全球1.08亿人患有可纠正的视力障碍。根据U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention（CDC），在过去一年中，估计有6100万美国成年人有6100万美国成年人受到严重视力丧失的风险。
这美国验光协会（AOA）和美国眼科学院（AAO）建议低风险的成年人60岁，每24个月接受一次全面的眼科检查。老年人和面临更大风险的人，例如患有糖尿病患者，应每年检查或按照医生的指示进行检查。
以下是一些常见的眼睛条件，在没有彻底检查的情况下可能无法检测到。
Cataracts
Like a camera, the eye has a lens that focuses light on the retina at the back of the eye. The lens can become cloudy — a condition known as a cataract — limiting vision and making it difficult to read or drive, especially at night. As白内障进步，您可能很难从远处识别面孔或阅读路标。
“Cataracts develop with age,” says Lisa Park, MD, an眼科医生和clinical associate professor at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. “Everyone will develop significant cataracts if we live long enough. It’s most common in people in their seventies.”
白内障手术involves replacing the cloudy lens with a new one. “It’s one of the most common ambulatory surgeries performed,” says Dr. Park. “Surgery takes place in the office, and you don’t need general anesthesia. The recovery is relatively quick.”
创伤，眼睛中的炎症或其他医疗状况（例如糖尿病）会导致白内障发育更快。
与年龄相关的黄斑变性（AMD）
黄斑是视网膜的小小的，是敏锐，直截了当的视觉所必需的 - 您需要阅读或驾驶所需的愿景。迈克尔·格罗丁（Michael Grodin），医学博士，巴尔的摩Katzen Eye Group的视网膜服务联合主任和临床研究主管。
“一种MD is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among people 60 and older,” Dr. Grodin says. The AmericanMacular DegenerationFoundation estimates AMD affects more than 10 million Americans.
“There are two types of AMD,” Grodin explains. “Dry AMD [or atrophic] results from aging and thinning of the macula, and accounts for 80 percent of AMD cases. Twenty percent progress to wet AMD [neovascular]. Wet AMD can cause severe vision loss due to growth of abnormal blood vessels beneath the retina, which leak blood and fluid.”
您可以通过下载称为The的筛选工具来测试自己的AMD迹象Amsler Grid。这square grid looks like a sheet of graph paper, but with a dot at the center. Covering one eye at a time, stare at the dot. If lines in the grid appear wavy, broken, distorted, or blurred, it may indicate AMD. You can also do a “face test”: With one eye covered, examine your face in the mirror and look for any blurred or missing parts.
除年龄外，其他AMD危险因素还包括家族病史，吸烟和高血压。目前没有treatments for dry AMD, but wet AMD can be treated with drugs or laser surgery.
黄斑冰和孔
格罗丁说：“黄斑孔是黄斑中的一个小而全厚的缺陷。”“您可能会注意到中央视觉或模糊或扭曲的中央视力的丧失，从而难以阅读或驾驶。黄斑孔通常是由于衰老和“运气不好”而导致的。它们在60岁以上和女性中最常见。”
根据国家眼科研究所，一些黄斑孔本身会密封，但可能需要手术才能改善视力。
黄斑冰球是视网膜表面上半透明疤痕组织的形成。随着时间的流逝，疤痕组织会收缩并扭曲潜在的黄斑或导致黄斑肿胀。
有关的：6 Unexpected Ways Eye Problems Can Hurt You
“Macular puckers are also called cellophane retinopathy — a name that helps you visualize the effect of the membrane,” says Brian Spittle, OD, anoptometrist在弗吉尼亚州里士满。“如果您要在桌子上放一张玻璃纸，然后将其捏在中间，它可以模仿眼睛背面的物理变化。”
大多数黄斑冰球不会影响视力；但是，三分之一可能需要手术。危险因素包括年龄，视网膜撕裂或脱离病史，糖尿病，眼睛的炎症以及将血液从视网膜带走的小静脉（称为视网膜静脉闭塞）。
Retinal Detachment
“一种独立的视网膜is serious and can threaten your sight,” says Grodin. “The retina becomes separated from its underlying supportive tissue and cannot function. Unless it’s reattached quickly, you may have permanent vision loss.
突然出现眼花架, accompanied by flashes of light or loss of peripheral vision, may be warning signs of a detached retina. “Your vision might also become blurry or poor, or you may notice a shadow or curtain cross your eye,” Grodin says. “Symptoms of a detached retina can occur gradually or suddenly. The sooner the retina is reattached, the better the chance your vision can be restored.”
青光眼
青光眼是视神经的疾病，它将视网膜从视网膜发送到大脑。
斯皮特尔博士说：“通常，青光眼的人没有症状。”“通过评估两个最常见的危险因素来诊断青光眼：眼睛压力升高和对眼内神经的身体变化。随着青光眼的变化，神经会改变外观，因为其中一部分死了。随着时间的流逝，可以通过放大倍率看到这种神经组织的损失。”
Risk factors include age, family history, and race (African-Americans over age 40, for instance, are at greater risk). Spittle says using steroid-based medications may increase pressure inside the eye.
根据国家眼科研究所，降低眼压早期可以减缓青光眼的进展，并有助于节省视力。青光眼可以通过药物，激光手术或某种治疗组合进行治疗，但早期发现是关键。
这bottom line: If you haven’t had an eye exam in some time, make an appointment. If you detect any changes in your vision, see an eye doctor right away.
