Did you know that your eyes can also be a primary window into the overall health of your body and mind? A comprehensive eye exam can play an important role in the early detection of systemic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Eye Exams and Whole-Body Health

People are as much as 3 times more likely to schedule a yearly eye exam than a visit to their physician for a routine physical. This makes it much more likely that the very first indications of serious health conditions will be found during the course of a routine eye exam.

Systemic issues that can often be detected by your local optometrist include diabetes, certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis. These conditions are often detected by evaluating the blood vessels inside the eye for damage or plaque buildup, and checking for bleeding in the retina or other internal eye structures.

Healthy Eyes and Mental and Emotional Health

Annual comprehensive eye exams are also an important part of maintaining your family's mental and emotional health, since vision deeply impacts general wellbeing.

For children, eye exams ensure they're meeting their developmental milestones and can see clearly in school and at play. This helps boost confidence while learning. For adults in their 40s, yearly checkups become important for detecting conditions such as presbyopia. For those in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts become much more prevalent. Diagnosing and treating these conditions early can prevent significant vision loss, which multiple studies have linked to depression and increased risk of Alzheimer's and dementia.

Want to learn more about how our eye doctors in Kettering can help keep your body and mind healthy? Come visit Dayton Optometric Center, or give us a call at (937) 228-2020 today.