Losing my sight is probably one of the most terrifying things I can imagine. I have a rare eye condition called pigment dispersion syndrome. It’s such a rare condition that my optometrist was actually giddy with excitement when he discovered it, which was a little disconcerting. Basically it means that the pigment in my iris is flaking off, and could potentially “block the drain” in my eye, causing the pressure in the eye to rise and leading to problems with glaucoma, damage to the optical nerves, and vision loss. Thankfully my optometrist was able to catch this during one of my routine eye examinations, and since we caught it in the early stages the chances of me not going blind are pretty good.
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| Credit: Sarindam7 |
The point I want to make is, I wear glasses, but my prescription hasn’t changed in over ten years. My vision was normal, and I was not experiencing any “weird” symptoms at all. If I hadn’t gone in for my routine eye check up I would never have discovered that I have this condition, which needs to be carefully monitored. For now I just need to make sure I have a comprehensive exam once a year to track if the pressure is building up. If detected early serious conditions like this, or far less rare stuff such as glaucoma and cataracts, can be treated, and vision loss averted.
If it’s been two years (or longer!) since your last eye exam I urge you to get a comprehensive eye exam. Because of my condition OHIP covers the cost of my yearly exam, but for others I know the fee can be a deterrent (hence why I’m left nagging my family members!). If you live in the Toronto area you should check out Optical Eyeworks. This Richmond Hill optometrist offers complete eye exams for $70 (and frequently offer sales, which bring the price down to $59 or lower).
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