Ohio-based EyeMed Vision Care has begun offering retinal imaging as an optional benefit with in a vision plan.
Retinal imaging provides detailed photographs of the retina, the inner nerve layer that lines the back of the eye, as a diagnostic tool to monitor overall eye health.
The photographs can be used to help detect such eye and health conditions as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
EyeMed Vision Care said although retinal imaging doesn’t require dilation of the pupil, routine dilation remains a part of an eye exam to give both the patient and eye care provider more tools to assess and maintain eye health.
EyeMed Vision Care medical director John Lahr said the patient’s eye doctor can compare digital retinal images to later views of the retina to look for changes that could indicate early onset of a serious eye condition or disease.