Healthy Living: check eyes yearly to see clearly

Our eyes play a vital role in our quality of life. However, even though our vision is so important to us, we don’t make the time to check-up on them. In fact, we usually wait for something to go wrong before we do. The general rule is that every person should get an eye exam every year. Tonight in Healthy Living we take a look at the importance of the yearly eye exam.

Marleni Cuellar, Reporting

It’s not usually something you’d expect to see when walking into a furniture store, but for the past three years. Courts have branched out into an eyewear division complete with trained professionals to check your eyes. As store supervisor, Shamika Sanchez explains, the goal is to encourage proper eye care.

Shamika Sanchez, Optical Store Supervisor

Shamika Sanchez

“That is the reason we have provided the eye test to our customers. It is very important.”

Optometrist, Freddy Nicholas is on hand to provide your free eye exam.

Freddy Nicholson

Freddy Nicholson, Optometrist

“It’s a primary eyes exam. We do VA Vision – find out if you need glasses. After that we do fundoscopy to find out if you have any other diseases. Basically it is just a primary level and if you have any conditions, which we may find. We refer. If you’re vision is not good with glasses then there is a bell that it might have other things. So when we look at that. We examine the eye carefully with the ophthalmoscope. We may see glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, we can see cataract. Diseases like diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma can leas to blindness.”

If you do have vision problems, that’s where the shopping experience you’re accustomed to at Courts would come in.

Shamika Sanchez

“Some of the services offered here at Courts Optical obviously the eye testing that is one the major services that we offer here. We also do contact lenses as well, prescription, non nonprescription, colored and no colors. We also do polarized sunglasses as well and prescription sunglasses as well. So if you’re sunglasses user and you also use glasses and you’d like your prescription in a sunglasses we offer that service as well too.”

Technology has also enhanced eyewear, “coke bottle lenses” and bifocals are no longer necessary with the new digital lenses and progressives. The more modern glasses can also combat the effect of technology on your eyes too..

Shamika Sanchez

“We also have the blue block lenses. This helps you when you’re working around computers for long periods of time. It helps you in your sleeping as well. So for those work in the office and would like the try the blue block glasses. we offer those as well. We try our best to make it affordable. For those of you that have an existing account with us here at courts, it is very easy for you to come in to the store, we provide that service and if you need your glasses you can also put it on your courts account and pay monthly for it as well.”

With or without a purchase in 20 minutes you can have a primary eye exam and results. Nicholson emphasizes that even if you have glasses, you should schedule a yearly checkup. Here are some signs you may need a new prescription.

Freddy Nicholson

“Itchy eyes, dry eyes, headaches, dizziness sometimes. Those are signs that you do need to check if you need to change your glasses. And if you don’t use glasses? Same symptoms”