August is National Eye Exam Month and a good time to talk to your dad about his eye health. Has it been more than a year since his last eye exam? If so, he’s overdue. One in ten Americans report not having been for an eye exam in five years or longer. Exams are the best way to catch troubling eye health conditions in the earliest stages. Here are few things to know about eye exams and how companion care at home can support your senior’s eye health.
What Happens During an Exam?
Your dad will probably work with the eye doctor’s assistant first to get a few tests out of the way. This includes tests of peripheral vision, tests to check for color blindness, and a test that blows air against the eye to measure eye pressure.
Visual acuity tests help eye doctors understand how clearly your dad’s eyes are seeing objects. This is the standard eye chart with the rows of letters. If your dad is only able to see letters from 20 feet away that should be clear from 30 feet away, he has 20/30 vision.
After that test, the doctor may put in eye drops that dilate the eye. Your dad will need sunglasses for the ride home. This allows the doctor to view the way back of the eye to check for conditions like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts.
It’s important that he has these checks each year as they can lead to blindness over time. Many eye diseases are not curable, but treatments can slow the progression of the disease and prevent full vision loss. If he learns he has one, he should ask about working with a specialist or if there are medications he should use.
The doctor will assess whether your dad is nearsighted, farsighted, or both. He’ll learn if he has astigmatism, which is a common condition where the lens or cornea is slightly misshapen.
Your dad will view items through different lenses to get his prescription correct. At this point, he can go for a glasses fitting or get his prescription to order glasses online. Make sure your dad doesn’t feel pressured to purchase from his eye doctor. If the prices are too high in the office, he may find it better to purchase them online.
Companion Care At Home Can Provide Transportation and Support
Do you find it challenging to arrange all of your dad’s appointments during your limited vacation time off from work? Would you prefer to be able to use your vacation days for things other than errands? Companion care at home is a solution to consider.
Instead of having to figure out how to get your dad to his appointments when you work full-time, arrange companion care at home. Caregivers can bring your dad to his appointments, bring him back home, and help him run errands if needed.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Carrboro, NC, please contact the caring staff at East Carolina Home Care today. Call (919) 601-7810.
Providing quality home care for seniors and families in and around Morrisville, Apex, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Oxford, Roxboro, Carrboro, Rougemont, Pittsboro and Durham in North Carolina.
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