The eye exam is the quintessential measure taken when considering the health of our eyes. Optometrists nationwide recommend that healthy Canadian adults have their eyes examined annually or biannually, and the optometrist practicing at Woodstock Optical recommends the same.
Dr. Rahim Kassam is one of Woodstock’s leading independent optometrists, and he practices at Woodstock Optical!
When you book your appointment, you can count on a comprehensive visual screening that detects for developing eye diseases, changes in your visual acuity, and other aspects of your eye health that you should always have visibility on.
Did you know that many grievous eye diseases develop without any noticeable symptoms? By the time your vision is actively affected, the condition may already be quite advanced. The great news is that with an annual eye exam you’ll have specialist, independent optometrists using cutting-edge technology to identify any such illnesses in their infancy.
Conditions like age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma tend to target those who are over 50 or 60 years of age, and any vision lost due to these diseases cannot be restored. Senior citizens are also quite likely to experience low vision, as compared to younger generations. This is where you have a vision impairment which cannot be rectified by lenses, medications or refractive surgery.
Dr. Kassam breaks his eye exams down into three parts:
Our eyes are unique organs: when they are damaged and vision is lost, whether it is from injury or disease, the lost vision is often permanent. Because of this fact, Dr. Kassam and the entire Canadian community of eye care specialists recommend regular comprehensive eye exams.
People with refractive errors may experience frustrating symptoms, such as headaches, as a result of their eye muscles having to work hard to focus.
Nearsightedness
Medically referred to as myopia, nearsightedness causes objects that are far away to appear blurry and out of focus. People with nearsightedness can often see fine up close but will struggle with distant vision.
Farsightedness
Medically referred to as hyperopia, farsightedness is the opposite of nearsightedness: distance vision is unimpaired, but close-up vision is impacted.
Astigmatism
The best of both worlds (myopia and hyperopia), people with astigmatism may have difficulty focusing on objects both near and far.
Presbyopia
Everyone will experience presbyopia at some point. A byproduct of aging, presbyopia comes on gradually (and is most evident in Canadians over age 40), reducing visual acuity. It can be effectively corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Did you know that most eye diseases don’t display obvious symptoms? This fact highlights why preventative eye care (aka, regular eye exams) are so important: your eyes often won’t tell you when something is wrong.
Glaucoma
One of the most well-known eye diseases, glaucoma slowly damages your optic nerve. Without preventative detection, most people that suffer from glaucoma won’t realize it until they already have some amount of permanent vision loss in the form of tunnel vision.
Macular degeneration
Commonly referred to as AMD (age-related macular degeneration), AMD is unfortunately common in senior citizens. It results in blurry or blind spots forming in your central vision. While it rarely causes total blindness, it can seriously impair your ability to see.
Cataracts
Not so much a disease as it is a chemical and structural change to your eye’s lens, cataracts are well-known among Canadians. With proper diagnosis, its effects can often be mitigated for prolonged periods of time. Dr. Kassam will be able to identify if you are a candidate for cataract-removal surgery, which is the only way to correct cataracts and restore clear vision.
We are conveniently located in downtown Woodstock. You’ll find us at the end of Perry Street on Dundas Street, right between Coffee Culture and Crabby Joe’s.
Woodstock Optical
