You may not realize it, but your eyes are a window into your overall health and can give eye doctors clues that warn of medical issues in other parts of your body. That’s why it’s so important to get regular eye exams, which can sometimes reveal that a vision problem is related to—or even being caused by—a bigger health problem. Or, you may not be having any visual indicators of a problem at all, but an eye doctor can take one look in your eyes and see another story.

Here are just a few conditions that may be visible to your eye doctor:

• Diabetes – If there’s damage to or abnormal development of blood vessels in your eye (i.e., bleeding or swelling in the retina), it could be an indicator of a condition of something called diabetic retinopathy, which is caused by diabetes. It may even be observed during an eye exam before your vision is affected.
• High blood pressure – Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause permanent damage to your vision because it affects the blood flow in the eyes. This type of damage can sometimes be the first clue that you have hypertension and can be detected as part of any routine eye exam.
• Inflammatory Conditions – There’s a strong link between inflammation in the eye and serious inflammatory diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and lupus. When there’s inflammation in the middle part of the eye, called uveitis, it’s often an indicator of inflammation in other parts of the body, as well. Left untreated, this condition can cause permanent damage to your eyes, in addition to any other health problems you have related to inflammation.

The good news is that all of these red flags can be detected in routine, annual eye exams and, if treated early, can improve any damage to your eyes and prevent any visual issues.

Ways to keep your eyes healthy

There are a number of ways you can keep your eyes healthy and protect your vision. Below are a few tips for staying on top of your visual wellness:

• Get a dilated eye exam. Having a comprehensive dilated eye exam is simple and painless—and it’s the best way to identify vision health problems, especially when you may not have any symptoms or warning signs of eye disease.
• Know your risks for eye disease. Unfortunately, getting older increases the risk of some eye diseases (i.e., glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration), but you may also be at higher risk of developing one if you are overweight or obese, you have a family history of eye disease, you have a chronic health condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, or you are African American, Hispanic, or Native American. Discuss these risks with your eye doctor and talk about any steps you can take to lower your risk.
• Take care of your overall health. Eat vision-healthy foods (i.e., dark leafy greens and fish, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids), stay active, and quit smoking, which increases your risk for diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts. (If you’re ready to quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or go to www.smokefree.gov for free support.)
• Protect your eyes. Wear sunglasses and protective eyewear when you are outside or doing activities that could be harmful to your eyes, such as working, playing sports, or doing home repairs. If you are on a computer all day, take time to rest your eyes every 20 minutes during the day.

How the VSP Vision Plan can help

Your Transocean benefits make it easy for you to be proactive about your eye care. The VSP vision plan covers annual eye exams at 100%, after a $15 copay, and provides an allowance for contacts and glasses. For more information on your Transocean vision benefits, click here.