Dr. Shannon Gatrell, Dr. Marcia Mitschke, Dr. Shawn Lins.
March 23rd is World Optometry Day! The theme this year is Eyes to the Future: Optometry Improving Global Wellness.
We sat down with Dr. Shawn Lins and Dr. Marcia Mitschke from Primary Eye Care Centre to talk about its importance.
“World Optometry Day is a celebration of optometry and eyes. It’s about raising awareness of the importance of having your eyes checked regularly and ensuring that you're taking the best care you can of your most important sense. Optometrists are the primary healthcare provider for your eyes - think of us as the family doctor for your eyes. We check everything from the inside to the outside of the eye, and everything in between,” said Dr. Mitschke.
We asked the importance of having regular eye exams.
“There are a lot of underlying conditions that can be picked up and a person might not even realize, ranging from binocular vision disorders to eye health concerns to lazy eyes. The scope of optometry can range from pediatrics to elderly folks, to focusing on eye health for special contact lenses, sports vision, or post-concussion therapy,” stated Dr Lins.
How often should people get their eyes checked?
“It can vary. Usually school aged children - every year, anybody 65 or older - yearly, contact lens wearers - yearly, and young healthy adults - usually every two years, or sooner if recommended by their optometrist,” said Dr. Lins.
When should children have their first eye exam?
“Kids as young as six months can get their first eye checkup. Between six months and a year is the perfect time. They're not too active, so it's pretty easy to get a first look and make sure that their eyes are on the right track to develop normally. We can tell just by shining our lights in their eyes: is there a health concern or something going wrong with development? We can also check if there's a prescription that we need to worry about; for instance, maybe one eye sees well but the other one doesn't, and it's important that they're balanced. There are some kids who need glasses from a young age, but most of them are fine. We just want to make sure because kids can't tell us if there's something wrong with their sight,” noted Dr. Mitschke.
Dr Lins added, “We always focus on our objective testing. So obviously they're not telling us anything at that point, but parents are always surprised at how thorough we can be, and how much we can check, even at that young age.”
Did you know that medical eye health concerns are often covered through Saskatchewan Health?
“In Saskatchewan, most medical eye health concerns are a covered service through an optometrist - anything ranging from pink eye, to scratches on the eye, to a foreign body or something in the eye there's usually coverage through Saskatchewan Health”, said Dr. Lins
“If you have any sudden vision change, certainly let us know right away. Things like flashes of light or new floaters in your vision are an urgent concern that need to be addressed right away, and there's coverage for some of those things as well under Saskatchewan Health. There is also coverage for children under the age of 18, patients with diabetes, and patients on supplemental income programs,” added Dr. Mitschke
What are some of the most common conditions you see as optometrist?
“Macular degeneration is definitely the most common cause of sight loss in North America. That typically affects the over-65 cohort. Diabetes is the number one cause of sight loss in the working age population”, said Dr. Lins.
“Other things we look for as you get older are things like cataracts that can affect your vision. The most common condition, in Saskatchewan especially, is dry eyes because we live in a really dry place. That’s not something that usually affects your sight, but it can cause a lot of symptoms with your eyes, so it’s important to check for and treat it,” said Dr. Mitschke.
Dr. Lins notes, “Glaucoma is probably one of the big ones that would have no symptoms until it's too late and we can't restore the vision that's lost or the damage that's done. The best you can do is just stop it where it currently is”.
“Yes, so that's one reason to get your eyes checked regularly, because you might not know that there's a condition to be concerned about. The monitoring and prevention are just as important”, added Dr. Mitschke.
Are there changes in technology or treatment options?
“There's definitely lots of new things. There are new dry eye treatments that we refer out for sometimes, and lots of what we call “myopia control”, especially with adolescents and teenage kids”, said Dr. Lins
Dr. Mitschke added, “There’s just a lot more imaging that we have the capability of doing now, whether we have it right here in office or whether we refer for it. There are many advancements in technology that can help you have better eyesight for your lifetime. Even things as simple as taking a picture of the back of the eye gives us a reference point for down the road, so it is helpful to have that even from a young age”.
Celebrate World Optometry Day by booking your next comprehensive eye exam and take care of your most precious sense!
All the doctors at Primary Eye Care Centre are accepting new patients – appointments can be booked online at peccicare.ca or by calling 306-693-8584.