Three Temporary Conditions That May Make You Consider Rescheduling Your Eye Exam
In order to get a correct eyeglass or contact lens prescription during your next eye exam, it's important that your eyesight is as close to normal for you as possible. But while these relatively minor conditions usually pass quickly without requiring a visit to the ophthalmologist, they can sometimes distort your eyesight enough to make the results from an exam useless. So consider rescheduling your eye exam if you're suffering from one of these three temporary conditions.
Chalazion
A chalazion is what happens when a tear gland on the inside of an eyelid puffs up due to an infection. They usually clear up on their own either without treatment or with the application of a warm compress.
While a chalazion often occurs without harming your vision at all, some larger ones can cause just enough blurriness to distort what you have to read during an eye exam. Therefore, the more pain and tenderness you feel around the affected area, the more wary you should be about going ahead with your appointment.
Corneal Abrasion
If a cat's claw or head of a fork ever make contact with one of your eyes, you could suffer a corneal abrasion. This is when the cornea, or the outermost layer of protective tissue surrounding your eye, sustains a temporary scratch. Until it heals, your eye may feel sandy and rough every time you blink.
Especially if they occur near the center of an eye, corneal abrasions can also cause blurred vision. Even if the blurriness isn't distinct or major enough to prevent you from doing normal things like driving a car, your eye exam results could very well get thrown off by it.
Eye Allergy Flare-up
Allergies aren't just a threat to your sinuses. If you're unlucky, they can also cause everything from puffy eyelids and light sensitivity to eye redness and impaired vision.
Maybe you frequently suffer from allergy flare-ups that affect your eyes and you figure that you might as well go in when the condition is at its worst. Especially if your allergy is perennial instead of seasonal, this isn't always such a bad idea.
However, if you don't usually suffer eye irritation but suddenly do after a long day around pollen or other potential triggers outside, it may make sense to wait until all the symptoms subside. Unless, that is, you recently got a new job or commitment that requires you to be outside constantly.
Use your own discretion when determining whether or not you're able to complete an accurate eye exam with the above conditions. If you have questions, you may want to contact a local eye exam specialist, such as Spectacle Shoppe, Inc., to discuss your concerns.
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