Your senses are important. They provide your brain with information about the world around you and help you make sense of it all. Every day, your ears, eyes, taste buds, nose, and skin are sending thousands upon thousands of different signals to your brain. They work together to identify locations, people, food, the weather, and so much more. They help you appreciate art, enjoy the latest binge-worthy boxset, they allow you to get engrossed in music, and partake in conversations with those around you. Our senses are vital ways of gathering information. To lose one or more of these could make life very challenging, and limit your enjoyment of some of your favorite activities. 

Taking care of your senses is therefore very important. And in particular, your ability to see and hear are the areas that you will no doubt want to protect the most. 

Signs That You May Be Experiencing Hearing Loss

You may not notice a deterioration in your hearing. You may assume that you are too young to get problems with this and as such ignore any of the smaller warning signs that you may be getting to indicate that you have an issue. 

If your vision gets blurry when you look further away, then it is likely that you are short-sighted. However, when things that are closer to you are blurry and those that are far away are clear, you may be long-sighted. There are specialists that offer LASIK surgery, such as those at this Minneapolis optometry. LASIK is a commonly performed surgical procedure used to correct vision problems.

If you are in a crowd and you cannot hear the person stood right next to you, an inability to distinguish individual voices above others may also be a sign. 

What To Do If You Are Experiencing Hearing Loss

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, then you should go and get a hearing test. You can get one of these with your local audiologist. 

Initially, they will talk to you about your general health and the type of lifestyle that you lead. This will help them identify any potential causes of your hearing loss. 

Following this, your audiologist will examine your ear canals and then get you to take part in a number of short tests that will identify the extent of your hearing loss. 

Your audiologist may recommend that you get a hearing aid to help you to hear better. If this is needed, they will then provide you with the options that would suit you best and if you are happy to get one, then they will also assist you with the fitting of the hearing aid and help set it up.

Signs That You Have Issues Affecting Your Eyesight

Problems with eyesight are probably much more common in a wider range of people. Some people will find that they have issues with their eyesight from a fairly young age. These may include being long-sighted, or short-sighted. 

If your vision gets blurry when you look further away, then it is likely that you are short-sighted. However, when things that are closer to you are blurry and those that are far away are clear, you may be long-sighted. 

You may notice signs that you have problems with your eyesight when you are driving. If you are unable to read license plates or make out details ahead of you, then you may well need to get your eyes tested. 

If you are struggling to read things from books, or screens, or get headaches particularly when focusing on specific areas, then you should also get your eyes tested. 

You should ideally try and get your eyes tested every two years regardless of noticing any problems. Your eyes will change as you get older, and these changes may be quite subtle. Having your eyes tested will help to spot changes early on. 

What To Expect From Your Eye Test

When you visit your optometrist for an eye examination, you can expect a few tests. One may involve the optician shining a light into your eye and looking down it. The most common test will ask you to read letters from a light-board through different lenses. This is used to work out to what degree your eyesight has changed. 

Following your eye exam, your optician may advise getting prescription corrective lenses and they can talk you through all of the options available to you.