Critical Health Assessments To Have Done Before You Have Serious Problems
Hearing Tests
Today, most babies will receive a hearing screening before they even leave the hospital. Screenings continue into childhood with tests being administered at school and at regular health checkups. Adults should continue to get hearing tests at least once every ten years until they reach fifty years old. After fifty, tests should be done every three years. Hearing screenings are quick, painless, and are pass-fail. Patients only need to follow through with further testing if they do not pass the initial screening.
Even if patients do not feel they need a screening, it is still recommended because hearing loss happens so gradually they may not even realize it is happening. Hearing loss can make individuals feel isolated socially, reduce their quality of life, and can leave them vulnerable in emergency situations. Hearing problems can also exacerbate the possibility of falls and a patient's ability to walk. Though hearing loss may not be reversible, doctors can help protect what hearing patients have left and make up for what they have lost with the use of hearing aids.
Vision Tests
An individual, beginning at six years old, should get vision tests completed on a regular basis, though the frequency recommended does vary based on the patient and the presence or lack of vision conditions. Vision screenings can help detect early symptoms and risks for certain eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness if not caught early enough. Certain health issues like diabetes can damage blood vessels and can make an individual more susceptible to blindness, glaucoma, and cataracts.
Early detection is key to preventing or delaying blindness in some cases. Healthy vision can give individuals a higher quality of life. If an individual experiences reduced vision, pain, redness and draining, double vision, halos, floaters, or flashes of light, they should seek help from their doctor or an ophthalmologist before their regularly scheduled appointment.
