“Talking about obesity creates a positive interaction with patients and inspires people to be proactive about their health,” says Kimberly Reed, OD, FAAO, a member of the State of Florida Governor’s Task Force on Diabetes.

A study published in Primary Care Optometry News, encourages more optometrists to manage obesity in their practices.

Agustin L. Gonzalez, OD, FAAO says “Typically, optometrists are taught to treat the eye, often thinking of it as a separate entity of the body, However, in medical school, it is the opposite, where doctors look at the body and then the eye as an extension of the body. That eye-centric, single body system mentality must change for optometrists to establish a primary care role in the health care system,” he said.

Reed and Gonzalez believe in a holistic perspective, looking at the body as a comprehensive system. Optometrists are poised to affect the outcomes of those with diabetes and other conditions, they said.