Seeing Eye To Eye

Why Annual Eye Health Exams Are Always a Good Idea

Written By: James Rieger | February 1, 2012

Good vision does not necessarily mean good eye health. I recently saw a patient for a routine eye exam. He was a healthy guy in his 40’s that had LASIK a few years back by Dr. Pepose. Vision was great and he was very happy with it. The exam was unremarkable until I looked at his fundus thru a dilated pupil. What I saw on his retina was a Hollenhorst Plaque, which is a cholesterol embolus that breaks loose from the carotid artery, which is located on the sides of our neck. This emboli lodges in the small vessels of our retina. A quick referral to his primary doctor and a carotid ultrasound confirmed the cholesterol deposits within the vessel walls. Proper medication, diet and exercise have greatly reduced his risk of stroke which may have gone undetected until there was a serious event. The moral of the story is to take the time once a year for an annual eye health exam, even if your vision seems fine.