You’ve heard it said that our eyes are windows to the soul. The truth is they’re a window to our body’s health.
Eye exams not only make sure we have the correct eyeglass prescription, they can provide a potentially lifesaving early warning for serious illnesses.
Diabetes: Diabetes can cause abrupt changes in vision, making it suddenly difficult to see either near or close up. This symptom combined with frequent thirst and urination, may be a sign of diabetes. Michigan optometrist Jeff Kenyon says general practitioners and endocrinologists rely heavily on eye care providers to find diabetes.
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High blood pressure: Eye doctors often diagnose hypertension by seeing leaky retinal blood vessels in the back of the eye. Optometrist Paul Williams of Washington state says that he has seen vascular damage so severe that he has sent patients “directly to the emergency room.”
Autoimmune diseases: Sjögren’s syndrome patients suffer from very severe dry eyes because the autoimmune disease attacks the tear ducts. Multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, in addition to Sjögren’s, can be associated with optic nerve inflammation. Sometimes the first symptom of MS is temporary blurring or loss of vision.
High cholesterol: Optometrists can detect cholesterol by seeing deposits on the cornea. “I routinely see cholesterol deposits during eye examinations,” says optometrist Brad Bodkin of South Carolina. “A few weeks ago, I saw them in the cornea of a 36-year-old man who I then referred to his primary care physician.” A week later the patient returned to tell Bodkin that the exam may have saved his life because his cholesterol was extraordinarily high.
Blood clotting disorders: Atlanta optometrist April Jasper has had several patients who have been diagnosed with clotting disorders as a result of detecting optic nerve swelling in the eye. “Clotting disorders are potentially fatal and they often go undetected until they are found in an eye exam,” she tells Newsmax Health.
Optometrists recommend that you have an eye exam once a year to preserve your vision – and your overall health.
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