Don't wait till it's too late.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Is there an optometry analogy? Nothing catchy comes to mind but a good story does. I had a young patient come into my office who needed contacts. This man was a new adult and off to college. His mother asked me to stress healthy habits as he had a history of abusing his contact lenses. We discussed the need to replace his contacts according to the recommended schedule as, "Buying contact lenses is cheaper than dealing with an eye infection."

Three months passed and I get a from this young man needing my immediate attention. Severe conjunctivitis (pink eye) plagued him, a result of contact lens over wear. We managed to treat the eye infection but the treatment cost him double that of a year's supply of contacts.

The lesson? An ounce of prevention (buying your contacts) is worth a pound of cure (treating an eye infection). This practice is applicable to many aspects of eye care. Macular degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy and others are far easier to treat and prevent than they are to cure. A regular, vision exam on a yearly basis is your best line of defense.