Rochester, NY-- Almost 70 percent of people around the world would rather give up a limb or their hearing than lose their eyesight. That was the finding of a recent Global Eye Study by Bausch And Lomb.
The survey also found that while most people value their vision more than anything else, they don't take enough steps to preseve their eyesight.
Twenty-one percent of those surveyed said they had an eye exam in the past five years.
Optometrist Richard Chute says people feel like, "If it's not broken, don't fix it."
But Chute says not only can a thorough eye exam diagnose vision problems but also major health problems including diabetes, glaucoma and high blood pressure. He says five to six patients are diagnosed as diabetic in his practice each year.
That happened to Sue Mintel. She came in for an eye exam and left with a diagnosis of pre-diabetes.
Sue lost one hundred pounds after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, and says she no longer has high blood pressure. She also was able to stop taking her diabetes medication.
Sue credits that eye exam for helping her turn her life around.
