It may be the “Biggest Little City in the World,” but Reno can now ALSO boast that it has the most eye-healthy residents in the country. Boise residents aren’t too shabby in that area, either.

The two rank one and two in the 2016 Eye Health Index, as reported by VSP Vision Care.

The Eye Health Index, now in its fourth year, reviews tens of millions of VSP claims from more than 100 U.S. metropolitan areas to identify which cities are the most focused on maintaining their eye health by getting annual eye exams. The 2016 index rankings were determined by looking at the percentage of VSP members who received an eye exam in 2015 in cities with at least 100,000 VSP members. (VSP provides vision benefits to one in five Americans.)

How eye-healthy is your community?
Are residents of your city aware of the importance of seeing eyecare professionals, or is there still some education to be done?
    1. Cleveland, OH
2. Bakersfield, CA
3. Merced, CA
4. Akron, OH
5. Albuquerque, NM
6. Detroit, MI
7. Stockton, CA
8. Santa Rosa, CA
9. Bridgeport, CT
10. Salinas, CA
 
VSP’s study found some silver lining in the clouds of those bottom 10 cities: the younger residents are stepping it up when it comes to eye care. While Bakersfield, Merced, Stockton, Albuquerque and Salinas are some of the least eye-healthy overall, they rank among the cities where the highest percentage of residents under 17 are receiving eye exams.

Another key finding of the study: In general, women are more diligent about their eye health than men. In all of the cities surveyed, more women visited their eye doctors annually than men— 58% of eye exams were received by women compared to 42% by men.
 
For more information, click here.