Eye doctors do much more than find out if you need glasses or contacts. They test your eyes to see how well they work as a team and check for indications of underlying health issues. In fact, eye doctors are often the first health professionals to detect chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. In addition to checking for eye conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts, your eye doctor will carefully look over your eyes for any abnormalities.

They can spot the onset of many conditions and diseases just by looking at your blood vessels and retina. Diabetes, for examples, can create small blood vessel leaks or bleeding within the eye, and swelling of the macula, which can lead to vision loss if not treated. Statistics show that nearly one-third of Americans who have diabetes, don’t know. Which is just one more reason to make sure to see your eye doctor regularly.