Some eye care professionals are calling for vision plans to be included in the health care exchanges the government will be implementing in the future.

Regular visits to the optometrist can help maintain good vision and detect the onset of other health conditions, but not everyone makes the trip annually.

People whose vision coverage is combined with their major medical plan are less likely to visit the optometrist on the yearly basis, a study conducted by the National Association of Vision Care Plans found.

Those who have a separate vision insurance plan are twice as likely to seek an eye exam, says the NAVCP.

Seeing the eye doctor regularly can is important to overall health.

"Eye health is incredibly vital to overall health," says NAVCP president Richard Sanchez. "Doctors understand that comprehensive eye examinations can lead to the early detection of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and even reveal high cholesterol."

Diabetes is one condition that optometrists can detect with an eye exam. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse suggests that people get a yearly eye exam even if they don't have vision problems in order to help find conditions early.