"Comprehensive eye exams can detect glaucoma, which has no warning signs, and can lead to clinical management of cataracts and treatment of age-related macular degeneration in order to limit its progression. Eye exams can also uncover serious non-eye-related health issues such as diabetes and hypertension. That's why accessibility is a priority at EyeMed."

Ossip said he has discovered very serious health conditions during routine exams. "We want our patients to know that the eye exam is about much more than, 'Can I see?' During one exam we found one of the largest melanomas (cancer of the eye) I've ever come across. She was a 32-year-old female. We probably saved her life (by discovering it in time for successful treatment). We've found tumors, cancers, and multiple sclerosis that revealed itself in a swollen optic nerve. We're preserving sight and potentially saving lives, giving great care one patient at a time.

"Our job is to educate the public as to why they should have their eyes checked every year, and getting them to our office should be convenient as possible," Ossip said.

Accessibility - meeting consumers' demand for convenience - is one of the biggest factors setting EyeMed apart from other vision benefit plans. EyeMed members have access to tens of thousands of independent providers like Ossip Optometry. Members also have access to five of the top six national optical retail chains, including LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical and JCPenney Optical, the vast majority of which provide eye care services during evenings and weekends, both Saturday and Sunday.

This greater accessibility means members can schedule eye exams, or visits for contact lenses or eyewear products and services to fit their lifestyle needs as well as the needs of their families. It also means members can seek treatment for immediate concerns that don't conform to a typical work schedule.

"Networks with both independent providers and retail chain locations meet 100 percent of member preferences," Lahr said. "The most important thing is that an individual have a regular eye exam, not which provider is used."

Source: EyeMed Vision Care