You’ve woken up to blurry vision and black spots dancing in front of your eyes for the third time this week. Frustrated and a little anxious, you reach out to your friends and family first before jumping on Google – sure enough, someone knows somebody who had a friend with similar vision problems. Story after story confirms your fears – you’re getting older and your peepers are no longer working at full capacity. One self-diagnosing search later and you think you’ve got it – you’ve narrowed down the cause of your cornea concerns.
There’s More to Symptom Checkers Than Meets the Eye
Using any app or website to diagnose eyesight problems without the correct context, insight or education can be extremely dangerous. A recent study on the perks and pitfalls of the popular WebMD Symptom Checker revealed the online tool was incorrect 74% of the time. Would you hinge your wellness on a 26% accuracy rate?
Why are DIY Diagnosis So Dangerous?
Big, Bad Conditions (that you probably don’t have)
Casually entering symptoms into a search bar can generate some truly terrifying results (and you can easily convince yourself you’re facing down the barrel of three types of cancer and a brain tumour!). A lot of us have experienced this and whilst all symptoms could be considered potentially serious, there could also be a simple explanation and the top Google result doesn’t always reflect the cause of your concern, particularly when you’re diagnosing your eyesight issues.
Shopping Around for the Wrong Cures
If you’ve already decided your recent poor eyesight is indeed due to slow but silent glaucoma, statistics say you’re less likely to book an eye test or seek the help of an eye specialist. Instead, people may experience increased anxiety and worry after reading online about the worst-case scenarios of failed surgeries, late diagnoses, and other bad outcomes, when the majority of cases can be managed successfully with simple treatments. Anecdotal cure-alls, glasses you’ve found in a drawer somewhere or specs purchased off the rack from a petrol station won’t help if you’ve yet to discover the real source of the problem.
Treating a Disease that Doesn’t Exist May Lead to You Ignoring One that Does
Pursuing treatment for one ailment without seeking professional verification first often leads to ignoring the real reason for the issue. Additionally, you’re spending time, money and stress on something as basic as normal eye vision changes, including those that come with age. Save yourself from taking steps you don’t need to.
Why is a Professional Diagnosis Important?
An eye test performed by an experienced eye expert will deliver correct and informed answers faster than searching for questions like, can lack of sleep cause vision problems (it sure can, short term ones anyway), on your favourite device. We understand booking in to see someone or fronting up to an appointment can be time consuming or even intimidating, but we make it simple at Custom Eyecare Newcastle.
Don’t let Dr Google diagnose you an eye condition. At Custom Eyecare, we perform eyesight tests to diagnose different types of eyesight problems in a safe and friendly setting, ensuring you receive the service and answers you deserve without spending hours looking for definition on the internet. If your eye vision problems are worrying you, or you have a few symptoms you’re not sure about, reach out today and feel better tomorrow.
