Many of us become aware of vision changes in our early to mid-40s, when we find, as my mother used to say, that “the print in the newspaper keeps getting smaller.” What’s happening, of course, is presbyopia. As the eye ages, the lens of the eye gradually loses its ability to focus on close objects, thus the prevalence of reading glasses in our mid-years.What we may not realize is that during our eye exams, our doctors have been doing more than deciding on the prescription we need for our glasses or contacts. They’ve been looking for signs of health problems, as well. Signs of diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be seen during an eye exam, and recently studies in France and Australia have found that eye doctors can be trained to  spot early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Read more about how eye exams can help discover other health issues:

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