Why should an eye exam not be missing from the annual check-up?
All guidelines of the World Health Organization and the European and American Medical Associations now focus on the value of prevention and early diagnosis of diseases for their treatment. An essential role in the field of prevention is played by the submission of the general population to an annual check-up. A complete ophthalmological examination with the performance of fundoscopy is a basic diagnostic examination that is included in the check-up.
- What does the ophthalmological examination include in the check-up?
The ophthalmological examination includes the measurement of visual acuity, eye pressure, slit-lamp examination and fundoscopy. It is a simple, rapid, non-invasive and painless examination for patients.
- How does an eye examination contribute to the diagnosis of diseases?
The eye includes elements of vascular, nervous, muscular and connective tissue, which are very simple to examine directly and quickly by the ophthalmologist, in order to determine their condition and any possible infection by diseases, before they manifest systematically in the rest of the body.
- What types of diseases can be diagnosed through an ophthalmological examination?
Through an ophthalmological examination in the slit lamp, the eye can be detected by:
- Endocrine diseases such as thyroid disease.
- Autoimmune and rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
- Pulmonary diseases, such as sarcoidosis.
- Muscular diseases, such as myopathies.
In addition, through fundoscopy it is possible to diagnose:
- Cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension and vascular thrombosis.
- Endocrine diseases, such as diabetes mellitus.
- Hematological diseases, such as hemoglobinopathies and leukemias.
- Neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.
It is therefore understood that by introducing the ophthalmological examination into the necessary diagnostic examinations of the annual check up, the control of patients for a multitude of diseases is achieved in a simple way.
