#WorldOptometryDay - The cornerstone to primary eye care

For keeping the eyewear industry-relevant and accustomed to the needs of the public, the credits must not only go to those who are directly involved in it but also to those individuals and groups who contribute indirectly. And, we at Specscart, are truly grateful to all of them.

A huge shout-out to all the optometrists!

Today - 23rd March - marks World Optometry Day, which is celebrated to honour all the optometrists worldwide and their dedication towards the noble cause of taking care of our eyes’ health.

Just to give you a brief idea, optometrists are eye care professionals who specialise in providing comprehensive primary eye care. In ensuring that our free eye test service functions to the full of its potential, optometrists are its main drivers. If you have visited our eye test studios, then you should know that optometrists are those who conduct your eye tests.?

If you are confused among the various eye care professionals - namely, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians, you can read our blog on this common confusion.

Optometrists - The backbone of primary eye care!

For any health care system to function efficiently, the most basic requirement is an inclusive and robust primary health care arrangement. This data from the website of WHO highlights the massive influence that a strong primary health care can have -?

Scaling up primary health care (PHC) interventions across low and middle-income countries could save 60 million lives and increase average life expectancy by 3.7 years by 2030.

Optometrists have a very powerful role to play when it comes to primary eye care. These professionals are the first point of contact for people who need to get their eyes examined for both vision and health problems.?

Optometrists are those who conduct comprehensive eye tests, and these tests are not just to do with blurry vision. There is a lot more to it. Read on to find out.

Importance of a comprehensive eye test

Rushing for a comprehensive eye test only after the arrival of symptoms related to various medical conditions is not a desirable practice. A comprehensive eye test should be considered as a preventive health care measure and not just a curative one. And that's the reason why you should get your eyes tested annually.

A comprehensive eye exam is crucial not just to check eye power, but in checking overall eye health as well.

With routine eye tests, even serious medical conditions related to eyes such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration, can be detected at an early stage. And early detection is the key to treat these conditions. Not only these diseases, an eye test can also detect infections such as conjunctivitis, ocular herpes, among others.

What if we told you that a comprehensive eye test can even detect other serious health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and even certain types of cancer?

And talking about the role of optometrists, to put it straight, an eye test is only comprehensive and authentic when it is conducted by optometrists, as they hold the specialisation to do so.?

Free eye test for all

Now that you know the importance of routine eye tests, you can visit our eye test studios. Our eye test is absolutely free of cost for all - whether you have an NHS voucher or not.

On this World Optometry Day, we have not only decided to celebrate optometry as a profession but also raise awareness around the all-important topic of eye health. As an eyewear firm, we consider this as one of our responsibilities.