Have You Had Your Eyes Checked?
We all know how important it is to get an annual physical. These yearly exams can help to prevent future health problems — and catch small issues before they get worse.
Annual vision exams are just as important. A thorough eye exam (the kind where they dilate your eyes) can help to identify early signs of.1,2
- Diabetes
- Glaucoma
- Cataracts
- Age-related macular degeneration
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Heart disease
These conditions often have no noticeable early symptoms. But they may be detected during an eye exam. If that happens, your eye professional can recommend steps to minimize the impact on your vision — and your life.1
A thorough eye exam should assess:3
- Your medical history. This includes information on your vision, as well as your overall health, your family medical history and any medications you take.
- Your eyesight. You’ll cover one eye at a time and read an eye chart.
- Your pupils, retina and optic nerve. Your eye professional will dilate your eyes to do this. (Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt. And the effects wear off pretty quickly.)
- Your side vision. One symptom of glaucoma is loss of side vision — something that can happen without you really noticing.
- Your eye movement. Your eye professional will measure your eyes’ ability to move quickly in all directions and to slowly track objects.
- Your prescription for corrective lenses. A tool called a phoroptor (the thing you sit in front of) contains different lenses. It helps determine the right eyeglass or contact lens prescription for you.
- Your eye pressure. This checks for glaucoma and may involve a quick puff of air onto the eye or the application of a pressure-sensitive tip near or against your eye.
- The front part of your eye. The front part of your eye will be a limited with a special scope. This can check for cataracts, as well as for cornea scars or scratches.
Schedule your exam today
If it’s been more than a year since your last eye exam, contact your eye care professional to schedule an appointment. Most vision plans — including DeltaVision — cover annual eye exams. (If you’re not sure if you have DeltaVision, ask your human resources representative.)
An eye exam is painless and takes less than an hour. The benefits it brings can last a lifetime.
1 Vision, U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/vision
2 Make a Date for Your Eyes: Your Annual Exam, Eye Site on Wellness, http://www.eyesiteonwellness.com/make-a-date-for-your-eyes-your-annual-exam/
3 Eye Exams 101, American Academy of Ophthalmology, https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/eye-exams-101
Keeping You Covered: Know Your Score
Do you have a couple of minutes? Great! You have all the time you need to receive a free oral health report for yourself or your children to share with your dentist.
Delta Dental’s free online risk assessment tool, myDentalScore, asks a series of questions about topics such as family history and current health status and habits. Your answers to these questions will help determine your oral health risk, including risk for tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer. You will receive an easy-to-understand assessment based on your answers that can be printed and shared with your dentist at your next visit. Your dentist can discuss the results with you in detail and come up with a plan that’s customized to your specific needs.
From gum disease to tooth decay, oral health problems are more common than you may think. myDentalScore helps identify risk factors, so you can take preventive action and avoid problems before they become serious.
Ready to get your score? Visit mydentalscore.com/deltadental.
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Check Out Delta Dental's New Employer Connection
Delta Dental of Iowa recently launched a new website and Employer Connection for you to manage your Delta Dental account. The Employer Connection allows you to view and print invoices, add and terminate members, run eligibility reports, and much more. Check out the Employer Connection today or watch these videos on using the Employer Connection.