Research has shown that the overall wellbeing of eyes is improved with additional coverage.
The results of recent research have now been released, and they have revealed that adults who do not have vision coverage as a part of their health insurance may suffer irreparable damage to their eyesight.
The study argues that eye coverage should be a required element of standard medical policies.
What the researchers determined was that individuals between the ages of 40 and 65 years old and who are covered with health insurance that includes vision care, had a likelihood that was twice as great of seeing an eye doctor within the last year as those who were not covered. Those who had seen an optometrist were more likely to be capable of reading printed text, and were also more likely to be able to recognize someone from a distance equivalent to across a normal street.
The health insurance vision care study was published in the Archives of Ophthalmology.
What the researchers explained within that paper was that “The study finds that having vision insurance increases the likelihood of an eye care visit, and that a prior-year eye care visit is associated with better vision status.”
The team of researchers, from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, was led by Yi-Jhen Li. That team estimated that by 2020, there would be more than 5.6 million Americans who have diseases related to the eye and that could cause vision loss.
However, the researchers also mentioned that it is possible to prevent – or delay – some of the permanent vision loss that could be caused by those ocular diseases (such as cataracts and glaucoma), simply by detecting them early and treating them properly.
According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta health scientist, John Crews, “We want to get them in the door. If they get in the door, they’re likely get what they need.” Crews was not connected with the research study, but agreed that vision care is very important. He explained that from the point of view of the public, the main problem is the issues that are stopping them from obtaining proper care.
This study indicates that, for many, these issues involve a lack of health insurance that includes coverage for vision care.
