By David Lazenby
Editor
TRUSSVILLE – Although the name of Optometrist Zack Steele’s practice, Trussville Vision Care, may suggest to some the doctor’s specialty is only for those who need help with their sight, the doctor said those with this belief may not be seeing the big picture.
Steele said the reason even those with 20/20 vision should get an annual eye screening is because sometimes optometrists are able to see physical problems that have nothing to do with sight.
“There are so many things that you can find that you may not know is wrong with you just by having an eye exam,” Steele said.
Steele said one patient who had blurred vision and headaches that came to see him a few years ago was discovered to have a brain tumor.
“Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known anything about it,” said the man who was able to have a surgery to remove the abnormal mass.
“It’s almost on a daily basis that we will diagnose someone with diabetes or hypertension before they had even had their blood sugar or blood pressure checked: From the eye exam.”
“The eyes are really part of the whole body and they can tell you a whole lot about what’s going on in your body,” Steele added.
Sam Pierce, 55, the former owner of Trussville Vision Care, who continues to practice optometry as an associate at the office at 133 N Chalkville Road, agreed.
“There’s more than just making sure you are seeing good through your glasses,” he said, adding that diseases of the eye, such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration also can be detected through a regular eye exam.
“The sooner you detect those, the better the prognosis for treatment and the better the chance to prolong good vision,” he said. “It’s certainly easier to try to slow the progress of a disease than to deal with repercussions of an untreated, undiagnosed disease.”
In other words, he said “It’s better to see it early and deal with it than catch it late, because then you’re dealing with the loss of vision rather than the progression.”
Pierce said at the very least, those who are younger than 50 should get an eye exam every other year.
When no other issues involved, Pierce said diabetes is the leading cause of blindness. In the South, he said diabetes is nearing epidemic status.
“It’s very avoidable, and very treatable with early diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
Pierce said a form of skin cancer, metastic melanoma, can form on the backside of the eyeball. This also can be detected during an eye exam, said Pierce, who last month became the president-elect of the American Optometric Association.
Steele and Pierce said optometrists are seeing an epidemic of nearsightedness in school age children.
“We don’t know exactly what to contribute that to, but all of the evidence points to (electronic) devices,” he said.
Steele said optometrists also see a lot of dry eye syndrome, a condition that affects 3 million Americans.
When we’re in controlled environments all the time, with air conditioners and heaters blowing, it’s no surprise,” he said, adding there are environmental and dietary factors that also contribute to this condition that Steele said is a difficult symptom to treat.
Pierce said blue light from computers and cell phones have increased eye strain as more people around the world spend more time using such devices.
As a result, he said eyeglasses manufacturers are increasingly using filters that block out a lot of the blue light these electronics emit.
Recently millions of Americans found themselves in need of glasses so they could view the Aug. 21 solar eclipse. Trussville Vision Care gave out safety glasses to those concerned about harmful effects of watching the celestial event without proper protection.
Pierce said those who will watch the eclipse should be careful not to stare at the sun, during the eclipse or other times, because this can cause retinal burning.
“Retinal burns are permanent so you can have some permanent vision loss,” said Pierce, the past president of the Alabama Optometric Association.
Since the founding of the practice in 1989, Trussville Vison Care has grown to become one of the largest eye care practices in the Birmingham area.
Pierce a native of Opp, earned a Doctorate of Optometry from the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 1988 after studying at Birmingham-Southern College.
Steele, who also grew up in south Alabama, specifically Andalusia, is a graduate of Auburn University with a B.S. in microbiology and a 2003 graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham with a Doctorate of Optometry.
Steele, who has been on the Trussville City Council since November, has served on the State Board of the Alabama Optometric Association and is past President of the Birmingham Area Optometric Society.
In addition to providing professional eye care and treatment, Trussville Vision Care offers to its patients a wide array of eyeglasses, sunglasses and other eye care products.
To make an appointment with Trussville Vision Care, call 205-655-4838. For additional information on the practice, the website for Trussville Vison Care is www.trussvillevision.com