Eye exam necessary?

I am 31 years old. I have -4.0 left and -3.25 right with -1.00
astigmatism in both eyes and has been for 10 years. I have a regular
eye exam with an optometrist every 2 years paid for by public health
insurance.

I am also seeing an opthamologist every year for a more comprehensive
eye exam not covered by public health. This is because she says that
with my highly myopic eyes, I am at a great risk of developing retinal
detachment.

Would the regular eye exam alone be able to detect issues relating to
retinal detachment? Are these problems common for someone of my
description?

Thanks

"ChrisW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:1d476a68-34bb-4e0d-8c2c-(E-Mail Removed)...
>I am 31 years old. I have -4.0 left and -3.25 right with -1.00
> astigmatism in both eyes and has been for 10 years. I have a regular
> eye exam with an optometrist every 2 years paid for by public health
> insurance.
>
> I am also seeing an opthamologist every year for a more comprehensive
> eye exam not covered by public health. This is because she says that
> with my highly myopic eyes, I am at a great risk of developing retinal
> detachment.
>
> Would the regular eye exam alone be able to detect issues relating to
> retinal detachment? Are these problems common for someone of my
> description?
>
> Thanks

Unless there is some information you have not provided, your myopia alone
does not justify seeing an ophthalmologist every year, provided that your
optometrist conducts some extended exams (besides the refraction for your
eyeglass Rx) to ensure there are no obvious medical problems with your eyes.
If your insurance only pays for a refraction and not the extended eye exams,
you can compare the costs of your optometrist performing the extended exam
against the cost of having an ophthalmologist do it.

On Jan 21, 9:05*pm, ChrisW <san...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
> I am also seeing an opthamologist every year for a more comprehensive
> eye exam not covered by public health. This is because she says that
> with my highly myopic eyes, I am at a great risk of developing retinal
> detachment.
>



I think she's unduly scaring you. You don't have high myopia
and at your script, little chance of retinal detachment.

On Jan 21, 7:05*pm, ChrisW <san...@gmail.com> wrote:
> <snip>
> I am also seeing an opthamologist every year for a more comprehensive
> eye exam not covered by public health. This is because she says that
> with my highly myopic eyes, I am at a great risk of developing retinal
> detachment.
>
> Would the regular eye exam alone be able to detect issues relating to
> retinal detachment? Are these problems common for someone of my
> description?

An annual exam is not likely to protect you from the remote
possibility of a retinal detachment. RD, if it happens, usually
develops rapidly, and when it does it's an emergency. Instead, if
indeed you are at risk, you should be aware of the initial symptoms,
and when they appear you should rush to see your ophthalmologist or go
to the nearest hospital.

The common initial symptoms are sudden increase in floaters, flashes
of light and/or a "curtain" pulling over your field of vision. Please
be aware that there is no pain when a detachment occurs since the
retina lacks pain nerves.

Meanwhile, don't worry. As the other posters have already noted, your
myopia is moderate, and if there are no other risk factors or eye
disorders, you should have no reason for concern.

"ChrisW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:1d476a68-34bb-4e0d-8c2c-(E-Mail Removed)...
>I am 31 years old. I have -4.0 left and -3.25 right with -1.00
> astigmatism in both eyes and has been for 10 years. I have a regular
> eye exam with an optometrist every 2 years paid for by public health
> insurance.
>
> I am also seeing an opthamologist every year for a more comprehensive
> eye exam not covered by public health. This is because she says that
> with my highly myopic eyes, I am at a great risk of developing retinal
> detachment.
>

S/he just scares you. Total Bullshit. -4.0 & -3.25 are not high at all by
any means.