The importance of regular eye exams

Blood pressure? Check. Weight? Check. Pee in a cup? Check. Seeing an eye doctor regularly?

Patients may be caught off guard if their doctor asks the last question during an annual checkup, but a “comprehensive eye exam isn’t just about vision,” says Mark Jacquot, an optometrist and vice president of Vision Care Operations for LensCrafters. “It can provide information about a person’s overall health and serve as an early indicator of other conditions, like diabetes, which can lead to serious eye disease, like diabetic retinopathy.”

Additionally, the retina, or the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye, is the only place in your body that gives doctors a close-up view of your blood vessels and nerves without your needing to be cut open. We asked trusted eye care experts to tell us which conditions they may help diagnose during your regular exam. (And don’t miss these secrets that eye doctors won’t tell you.)