The ophthalmologist’s regular trips go beyond testing the vision. Before other signs arise, your eyes will give doctors an insight into a variety of health problems, so it should be a part of regular health assessment. In order to check your vision, regular eye examinations are necessary, particularly if you wear glasses or contact lenses. Your ophthalmologist will examine the general health of your eyes and look at items such as blood vessels, your optic nerve, and any symptoms of glaucoma, in addition to testing your eyesight. Doctors are also able to detect conditions related to other parts of the body that have not yet been identified when monitoring the health of the eyes. Many of the problems that are often noticed during an eye exam include: 

• Diabetes: A disease called diabetic retinopathy causes the eye to bleed and swell, and it is not uncommon for an eye doctor to be the first to detect diabetes symptoms. 
• Hypertension: High blood pressure in the small blood vessels of the eye may cause changes, but will not impair vision until a later stage of the disease. 

Inflammatory conditions: Inflammation in the eye is often linked to inflammatory conditions in other parts of the body like the bowel and colon.