You have heard the expression that your eyes are the windows to your soul, but did you know that your eye doctor can also save your life? Did you know that some diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure can often be detected by an optometrist during a comprehensive eye exam?

This March is the 78th year that Save Your Vision Month is being celebrated. The purpose of Save Your Vision Month is to remind everyone of the need for regular, comprehensive eye examinations to detect eye health problems, general health issues, and vision difficulties.

Getting your yearly eye exam is not just for adults. Children need to get regular eye exams as well. Most people think that just because a child can see the eye chart at a vision screening at the nurse's office or the pediatrician's office, that that means that they have perfect vision. Actually, there are over 15 visual skills critical to reading and learning in addition to being able to see clearly. If your child is missing even one of these skills reading and learning could become difficult.

Your child does not need to be able to read in order to have an eye exam. There are a variety of different ways to check your child's vision that are used, depending on the age of the child. At birth, your baby's eyes should be examined for signs of congenital (problems at birth) eye problems. These are rare, but early diagnosis and treatment are important to your child's development.

If you notice that one eye turns in or out or that your baby doesn't seem to respond to visual activity, schedule an exam immediately. Otherwise you should schedule your baby's first eye exam at 6 months of age.

Unless old otherwise, the next eye exam should be at 3 years and then again before entering school. School age children should have an eye exam every year because vision is the most important sense that we use to bring in information.

Even if your child seems to be able to see OK, and doesn't complain-you still need to schedule an eye exam. While only 4 out of 100 children have amblyopia (also known as lazy eye) the only way to be sure it is caught early is with a thorough eye exam. Early detection of lazy eye will prevent permanent vision loss. Half of the children with lazy eye in this country go undetected because they have never had a complete eye exam.

In honor of Save Your Vision Month, please schedule your and your children's eye exams today.

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