By Richard Cornett, OOA Executive Director – The conclusions in a study recently released by HCMS Group in cooperation with VSP Vision Care are a must-read for optometrists.

The study states: Optometrists can detect early signs of chronic disease before other health care providers. Eye doctors were the first to identify signs of diabetes in patients 34 percent of the time, high blood pressure 39 percent of the time, and high cholesterol 62 percent of the time.

People who get an annual comprehensive eye exam are more likely to enter the health care system earlier for treatment of serious health conditions, which significantly reduces the long-term costs of care.

You can read more about the study on the HCMS website.