Each morning, we all have a routine we follow. We also have yearly doctor visits we schedule; however, the CDC states that over half of people 40 years and older with known eye issues skip their annual eye exam. Scheduling a routine eye exam is essential for the health and well-being of your eyes.

Most believe that no apparent changes in vision means that there isn’t a reason to visit a doctor. Because our brains are easily able to adapt to change, it’s harder to realize a decline in vision. With issues stemming from high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and more, routine eye exams could save your vision from permanent damage. According to the CDC, there are an estimated 93 million people in the United States that are highly susceptible to vision loss but only half had an exam over the past year.

Going to the eye doctor isn’t just for adults either. It’s recommended that children have routine exams in order to diagnose issues as early as possible. The leading cause of vision loss in children is Amblyopia, or “lazy eye.” It’s caused by the eye and brain not working together. With early detection, vision loss can be avoided.

Here at JEA, we’re ready to help you make an annual eye exam part of your routine. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment or request an appointment through our website.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends everyone receive an annual comprehensive eye exam. Although the number of those receiving eye exams has increased in recent years, half of all Americans still opt-out of their yearly vision check-ups. Here are four common health problems that an annual eye exam can uncover.

1) Diabetes
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people aged 20 to 70 years old and is easily diagnosed during a comprehensive eye exam. Chronic high blood sugar damages the small blood vessels in the retina, and if untreated can lead to permanent vision loss.

2) High Blood Pressure
Similar to diabetes, experiencing ongoing high blood pressure causes issues with the blood flow to the eyes. This can lead to your eyes to suffer kinks or tears as well as weakened or narrowed arteries.

3) High Cholesterol
Having high cholesterol could potentially lead to having a yellowish tint to your corneas, which is easily detected by an annual eye exam. Your ophthalmologist can determine if there are plaques in the blood vessels helping you to uncover possible high cholesterol issues.

4) Certain Types of Cancers
Brain tumors can cause drastic changes in your vision, which can be diagnosed during an annual comprehensive eye check-up. Also, your eye exam may indicate skin cancer as well as retinal bleeding that could identify leukemia.

86% of individuals that get their nails done regularly, schedule their appointments in advance. Making an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam at Jackson Eye Associates is easier than scheduling your weekly manicure, you only need to schedule it once a year!

Call JEA to schedule an appointment today or request your appointment right through our website.

Every parent wants what is best for their child and making sure they do well in school is vital to the success of their future. 80% of learning for a child is done visually, so it’s important that they have clear, healthy vision. More than half of parents in the U.S. do not bring their school-age child in for an eye exam prior to the start of school. Help your child succeed by scheduling a Back to School eye exam with Jackson Eye Associates today. It is a BIG deal.

According to the American Optometric Association, once a child reaches school age, they should be receiving an annual eye exam to ensure everything is working properly and to catch any vision issues early. One-third of moms say they skipped making an eye appointment for their child because the school provides vision check-ups, but those screenings miss up to 80% of vision problems. 75% of parents admit to taking their child to a primary care doctor and dentist before school starts each year, but not the eye doctor, but vision care is equally important.

School may already be back in session for your child, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to schedule a Back to School eye exam with Jackson Eye Associates. We offer three convenient locations across the Jackson Metro Area with the mission to provide eye care that is accessible and affordable to all our patients. Our team of board-certified ophthalmologists offers excellent, cutting-edge care for every member of your family. Call to schedule an appointment today.

An annual comprehensive eye exam is vital to maintaining overall excellent health. The eye exam provided by Jackson Eye Associates will detect vision problems or eye diseases before any symptoms are noticeable. Here are four of the biggest daily threats that make an annual eye exam a BIG Deal.

1) Dry Eyes
Experiencing dry eyes is the most common reason individuals schedule an eye appointment. The typical symptoms of dry eyes are burning, irritation, blurry vision, and general discomfort. Most people attempt to find home remedies to manage these on their own believing it’s not a big deal. Untreated dry eyes can lead to significant and permanent damage to your cornea.

2) Sun Damage
While dangerous UV rays are most commonly linked to skin cancer, they also greatly threaten your vision health. An annual comprehensive eye exam screens for potential conditions that could result from sun exposure such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Wearing UV blocking sunglasses is the best way to protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. Visit JEA Optical Boutique to get fitted for the best sunglasses for your vision needs.

3) Digital Eye Strain
From computers at work to your phone and television, we’re surrounded by screens throughout the day. Healthy vision may be affected when over-using digital devices. Blinking. Staring at screens for an extended period of time causes slower blinking, which can lead to dry eye symptoms, clogged glands, and tired eyes. If your job requires you to stare at screens for long periods of time, it’s important to take breaks throughout the day.

4) Vision Correction
Nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism are normal issues that make annual eye exams necessary for healthy vision. It’s important that your prescriptions stay up-to-date to ensure you see as clearly as possible. Also, wearing corrective contact lenses can reduce the oxygen to the surface of your eye as well as interfere with your lubricating glands, so it’s important to see an ophthalmologist yearly to verify that everything is still functioning in a normal fashion.

Life gets busy, but that doesn’t mean your vision health shouldn’t be a top priority. Jackson Eye Associates offers three convenient locations across the Jackson Metro Area with the mission to provide eye care that is accessible and affordable to all our patients and their families. Our team of medical professionals is committed to surpassing the standard of excellence in eye care. Whether you’re already a patient of JEA or a regular visitor to JEA Optical Boutique, schedule your annual comprehensive eye exam today because it’s a BIG deal.

Jackson Eye Associates is open and all locations are ready for patient visits! Schedule your appointment today.

We will continue to take all necessary precautions to ensure safety for our patients and staff, so please plan to wear your mask when you visit.

Jackson 601.353.2020, Clinton 601.924.9750, Madison 601.853.2020 JacksonEye.com

Monday – Thursday: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Friday 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (Clinton location closed)

JEA is now offering TeleHealth Services for patients who need us but aren’t able to visit us in person due to the recommended guidelines by the CDC, the Mississippi State Department of Health, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Although JEA has temporarily reduced our hours and the types of patients we are seeing, your eye care remains our highest priority.

 Call us at 601.353.2020 and one of our board-certified ophthalmologists will call you back to discuss your eye issue personally in the comfort of your home. We don’t suggest this service take the place of your regular visits in the future, but this will serve as a much-needed service at this time.

 Don’t hesitate to call our office for any eye care issues. As always, we are here for you and your family and hope to see you soon.

Jackson Eye Associates will continue to serve patients and focus on keeping patients, staff, and physicians safe during this COVID-19/Coronavirus awareness phase.

Please continue to your scheduled appointment unless you meet the criteria listed below. JEA is asking patients who have the following conditions to contact us to determine if it is appropriate for you to continue to your appointment or reschedule your appointment:

• Fever
• Cough
• Respiratory Infection
• Recent Travel

JEA will assess no penalty if you need to cancel your appointment due to these symptoms. It is our goal to continue serving patients while keeping everyone safe and aware of the situation.

The safety and health of our patients, staff, and physicians is our highest priority during this COVID-19 awareness phase.

According to The National Eye Institute, more than 3 million Americans suffer from glaucoma and is projected to reach 4.2 million by 2030. An individual can lose more than 40% of his/her vision before noticing. Approximately 120,000 cases of blindness are a direct result of glaucoma.

Known as the “thief of sight,” the American Academy of Ophthalmology declared January National Glaucoma Awareness Month to aid in spreading awareness of the disease.

Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes damage to the optic nerve, which results in vision loss. The most common forms of glaucoma primarily affect middle-aged to elderly individuals. Although there is no cure for glaucoma, early detection is vital in stopping the progression of the disease.

There are two main types of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma accounts for about 90% of all cases and is caused by clogging in the drainage canals, resulting in increased eye pressure. Angle-closure glaucoma is less common and develops very quickly. It is caused when the drainage canals are blocked and results in a sudden rise in intraocular pressure.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. The best course of action to combat this disease is to have an annual comprehensive eye exam. Although incurable, there are medications and procedure options available to assist in slowing and preventing further vision loss.

Approximately 1 in 20 individuals with diabetes suffer from proliferative diabetic retinopathy, which is the primary cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20 to 65 years old. According to Prevent Blindness America, all people with diabetes are at a higher risk for vision loss and blindness.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has designated November as National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month to spread knowledge of the many vision complications that stem from the disease as well as preventative measures.

“Early diagnosis is critical in successfully managing diabetic eye disease,” said Taylor Smith, M.D., Jackson Eye Associates. “Many cases of diabetic-related vision loss occur because the diagnosis is made late in the course of the disease, when treatment options are less likely to work well.”

Diabetic retinopathy occurs when the small blood vessels in the retina are damaged. Typically, there are no early warning signs with diabetic retinopathy but can easily be detected through a comprehensive eye exam conducted by an ophthalmologist. Signs a physician may observe are leaking blood vessels, macular edema, fatty deposits within the retina and damaged nerve tissue. If symptoms remain untreated the result could be permanent and irreversible vision loss.

“If detected early during a routine eye exam by an ophthalmologist, diabetic eye disease can often times be managed effectively, and permanent vision loss can be avoided,” stated Dr. Taylor Smith.

Individuals with diabetes are more likely to develop cataracts at a younger age and are twice as likely to develop glaucoma. Also, recent studies have concluded that people of African American and Hispanic ethnicities are at higher risk of acquiring a diabetic eye disease. The most effective step that you or a loved one can take to combat vision loss due to diabetes is to schedule an annual comprehensive eye exam.

Jackson Eye Associates believes that vision health should be easily accessible to everyone. JEA not only provides patients with top-of-the-line and cutting-edge medical care but a wide range of stylish glasses and sunglasses from JEA Optical Boutique. With all of these services under one roof, why wouldn’t you want to share JEA with your friends?

There are multiple digital outlets that JEA utilizes to communicate our services and advancements in eye health to the masses. Our website is user-friendly regardless if you are looking at it from a computer or phone screen. Direct from the site our patients can book an appointment, refill a glasses or contact prescription or find additional information regarding services or diagnosis, and even meet our physicians. Also on our website, you can find some of the newest frames available at JEA Optical Boutique. You can also share Jackson Eye Associates with your friends through social media. With both Facebook and Instagram pages, JEA is continuously updating followers on best practices and new technologies as well as spreading awareness of vision symptoms relating to certain diseases or disorders.

JEA wants to be everyone’s first choice in vision care and steadily strives to surpass the expectations in patient care. Whether you are a patient of Jackson Eye Associates or a regular visitor to JEA Optical Boutique, don’t keep us a secret from your friends because, after all, sharing is caring.