Are you ready for the New Year? During the holiday season many people take the opportunity to reflect on the year that has past, focus on new goals and make New Year’s Resolutions. Weight loss, financial freedom, healthy habits are among the top resolutions people make.

Resolutions for better health often include, eating better, exercising, or cutting down on sugar intake. While many people have resolutions to improve their health, they tend to not include an annual medical physical, 6 month dental visits and an annual eye exam.

With the New Year in full swing there is no better time to schedule your eye exam. You or your children may receive an annual vision screening at work or school. What people don’t realize is that a vision screening is much less comprehensive than an eye exam.

Vision screenings usually only take a few minutes and are often performed by volunteers, not by a certified optometrist. Vision screenings are typically designed to detect major vision problems. What many people do not realize is that an eye screening is ineffective at detecting subtle vision problems or overall health diseases, which if left untreated can rob you of your vision or lead to ongoing health problems.

Eye exams that are performed by an optometrist are designed to not only evaluate your visual acuity, but also to check the overall health of your eye. During a comprehensive eye exam, the optometrist will also check for signs of eye problems such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and detached retina.

As an added health bonus, your optometrist can also detect early signs of health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke risk; all based on the appearance of the delicate blood vessels and other structures within the eye.

As the New Year brings about resolve to change, consider your body’s overall health. Scheduling annual visits to not only your optometrist, but also to your medical doctor for a yearly physical can help to keep your body in top shape and provide early detection of any medical conditions before they become serious problems. Early detection is key to obtaining the best chance of treatment providing a positive outcome. Wishing you the best in 2018.

About the author: John D. Bissell, owner of Bissell Eye Care and Tri-State Low Vision Services, offers comprehensive eye examinations for the entire family, ocular disease detection and treatment, eye glasses, sun glasses, active wear, contact lenses, and low vision examinations for those with significant vision loss. He has undergone specialized training for treatment of low vision by the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists utilizing customized telescopic eyeglasses, prisms and telescopic implants for patients who qualify. The practice accepts most types of vision and health insurance plans.