EYE HEALTH
Are those cheap glasses from the servo doing you harm?
So many of us are putting off seeing an optometrist, or even buying a cheap pair of reading glasses from the chemist or the service station. The reasons for this vary from being time poor, saving money and not believing we need to have our eyes tested – but could these quick fix (or head in the sand) solutions be doing us more harm than good?
While the cheap magnifier glasses we find elsewhere may look similar to the prescription glasses found at the optometrist, those $5-$10 glasses probably aren’t going to solve our vision issues. While the cheap glasses themselves aren’t ‘harmful’ per se, they will come with the same lens on both eyes, whereas we usually need a slightly different script for each eye. These glasses will likely help one of our eyes see or read better, but for the other it may not be so effective, and the eye will need to work harder instead. Straining of the eye can lead to headaches, difficulty concentrating, and soreness.
Our eye health is important, so regardless of whether we are having trouble reading or not, we should be visiting the optometrist for an eye test every two years. There are many health issues that can be identified with a visit to the optometrist, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and arthritis. With bulk billing available for on eye test every three years for those under 65, and annual bulk-billable eye test for those over 65 – what are you waiting for?
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* This is not medical advice and should not be taken as such. Please see your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Call Mermaid Central Medical Clinic on (07) 5575 2444 or visit the website www.mermaidcentralmedicalc
