Health Warnings Your Eyes May Be Sending: What Your Eyes Say About Your Health
Did you know that your eyes can reveal clues to your health? An eye examination can reveal more problems than visual ones, your eyes could be warning you about a disease. Here are a few things that can show up in an eye exam:
• Changes in prescription and blurry vision
If your prescription is frequently changing or fluctuating it can be an early sign of diabetes. It happens from extra glucose sweeping into the lens and changing its shape, which makes it hard to focus and results in blurred vision. See your doctor about regulating you blood sugar and follow up with your eye doctor. Diabetes can also cause yellowish spots and hemorrhages known as diabetic retinopathy on the retina which can be spotted by your ophthalmologist.
• Cornea surrounded by gray ring
If you notice a gray circle around your cornea it’s not a good sign; addressed as Arcus Senilis by doctors, it’s caused by high cholesterol and triglycerides, which results in increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Another symptom includes difficulty seeing from one or both eyes. If you have it your doctor may recommend a blood test to check for elevated lipids, its strongly recommended for those under 60.
• Hardened Arteries
Those with high blood pressure may have symptoms in their eyes. You can detect it in the retina, blood vessels get twisted from high pressure. If these symptoms are not treated they can cause heart attack or stroke. Extremely high blood pressure can cause blood vessels to burst and form a hemorrhage, usually in those over 30.
• Inability to Focus on Slow-Moving Objects
Sometimes those who are mentally ill, with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, face problems focusing and have different eye tracking patterns. Often doctors are able to diagnose disorders by looking at the eye.
• Droopy Eyelids
Droopy eyelids, called ptosis, can be dangerous, you may also have differently sized pupils and notice it yourself looking in the mirror. This is a sign of myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease characterized by extreme muscle weakness and can be fatal, please see your doctor for immediate treatment.
• Malignant melanoma, a dangerous cancer, can be detected through your eyes. This cancer damages the choroid layer between the retina and the whites of the eye. You can see melanoma using an ophthalmoscope, it appears large with a raised surface or mole on the retina at the pigment. It can quickly spread to the brain through the optic nerve so early detection is important. It is usually caused by exposure to sunlight.
• Night Blindness
If you have problems with night vision and your eye surface appears damaged it may be a deficiency of vitamin A from lack of a healthy balanced diet. Eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Your doctor can easily detect this by checking the surface of your eyes.
