Health Problems Detected During Eye Checkup

Introduction

Eye examinations are not just for assessing vision, various health conditions show early ocular signs that can be seen in routine eye examinations. The pupils are dilated and the evaluation is done through various tests and procedures. The ocular changes could be early signs or potential risk factors for various diseases.

What Is the Importance of Regular Eye Checkups?

Regular eye checkups are not just about maintaining good vision; they play a vital role in overall health. Routine eye exams can often detect various health conditions at an early stage, providing monitoring of overall well-being. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and even certain cancers can show early signs in the eyes. By detecting these issues early, healthcare professionals can initiate timely interventions, preventing complications and improving outcomes.

What Are the Common Health Conditions Detected During Eye Checkups?

• High Blood Pressure: On eye examinations, the retinal blood vessels at the back of the eye show unusual bends, kinks, or bleeding. This is a sign of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a potential risk factor for the progression of other diseases like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

• Diabetes: The tiny blood vessels of the retina often show signs of diabetes on dilated eye examinations. The tiny blood vessels leak yellow fluid or blood into the retina, often an ocular sign of diabetes. The disease shows ocular signs even before the person has been diagnosed with diabetes. Thus, early diagnosis aids in proper treatment for diabetes, and vision changes and prevents further complications.

• Heart Disease: Retinal examinations with imaging like optical coherence tomography can detect early signs of heart disease in the eyes. The microscopic marks of an eye stroke are left behind and appear in the retina of healthy people. The marks are more in number in individuals with heart disease.

What Are the Various Other Health Conditions Detected During Eye Checkups?

• Rheumatoid Arthritis: Patients reporting the symptoms of red eyes and severe pain show signs of rheumatoid arthritis. Redness and painful sclera in an inflammatory condition. Rheumatoid arthritis patients also suffer dry eye, in the age group of 40 to 70 years.

• Thyroid Disorder: Hyperthyroidism or Grave's disease shows the following eye signs,

  • Bulging eyes or protruded eyeballs.

  • Retracting eyelids

  • Blurred or double vision.

  • Dry and gritty eyes.

  • Sensitivity to light.

  • Watery eyes.

• Parkinson's Disease: It is a brain disorder causing uncontrollable movements and difficulty in coordination and control of body movements. The ocular symptoms appear in the very early stages, even before the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Ocular tremor is a significant ocular change in Parkinson's. This can help with early diagnosis and prompt treatment.

• Brain Tumor: When pressure increases and causes swelling in the brain, its impact can be seen in the eyes. An eye specialist can see increased pressure in the optic nerve. Other vision changes include double vision, loss of peripheral vision, and changes in pupil size. The changes are noticeable only on one side.

• Multiple Sclerosis: It is a disease of the central nervous system, an autoimmune disease that leads to damage to nerve fibers. Inflammation of the optic nerve leads to vision changes and other ocular changes include severely blurred vision, painful eye movement, or even double vision.

• High Cholesterol: Increased levels of cholesterol in the blood can cause thickening of the arterial walls and disrupt the blood flow. It leads to changes in heart disease and stroke. The early signs of high cholesterol seen in the eye area includes:

  • The blue or yellow ring around the cornea is commonly seen in individuals under 40 years of age.

  • Cholesterol deposits in the retinal blood vessels indicate high cholesterol levels in the body.

• Lupus: Lupus is an autoimmune disease commonly affecting females in the age group of 15 to 45 years. Lupus can cause dry eyes, and swelling in the white part of the eye, or the retina. The ocular changes following lupus can help in early diagnosis.

• Cancer: Multiple types of cancer can be detected through a comprehensive eye examination. Common skin cancer conditions like melanoma and basal cell carcinoma are present on the outer surface of the eyes or eyelids. Lymphoma and leukemia show changes in the inner part of the eye. Metastasis of cancerous conditions can spread to the eye.

• Lyme Disease: Lyme disease is an infection that is transmitted through infected tick bites. Lyme disease causes ocular changes like inflammation of the optic nerve and an increase in floaters in the eye.

• Sjogren Syndrome: Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that causes dry eyes and a dry mouth. Dry eyes are an important symptom in the diagnosis of Sjogren’s syndrome. Other ocular changes are blurred vision and a burning sensation in the eye.

• Vascular Diseases: Vascular diseases affect the blood vessels that transport oxygen and nutrients. Vascular problems arise when the blood flow is slowed down or blocked due to various pathological conditions. Bleeding and clotting disorders cause bleeding in the eyes, which is clearly visible. This is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage. Vascular changes can affect the retina cause retinal bleeding, and damage the vision.

• Vitamin A Deficiency: Vitamin A deficiency predominantly causes ocular changes. Vitamin A is essential for the eyes to produce enough moisture for lubrication, and the production of certain pigments that the retina needs for proper working. Vitamin A deficiency causes dry eyes and night blindness. It is a preventable cause of blindness in children.

• Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Diseases like herpes simplex, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV, gonorrhea, lice, or genital warts can cause ocular changes as they affect all the layers of the eye.

• Myasthenia Gravis: An autoimmune disease that causes the weakening of the muscles. The early symptoms appear in the eyes. The most common eye symptom is drooping eyelids. Other common symptoms are double vision and weakness of various body muscles.

• Aneurysm: An aneurysm is a ballooning of the arterial wall at a weak spot. The walls are thin and will easily rupture. The aneurysms that developed may also press on the adjacent structures. When an aneurysm develops adjacent to the optic nerve, it can cause vision loss or diminished eye movement, before rupturing. Aneurysms are emergency conditions that require immediate treatment.

• Drug Toxicity: Certain drugs can be toxic to the ocular structures. The symptoms include red eyes, itching, watery eyes, scaling eyelids, scratches in the cornea, or conjunctivitis.

• Sarcoidosis: Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory condition that causes the formation of granulomas in various parts of the body. The common eye symptom of sarcoidosis is iritis, inflammation of the iris. It causes painful episodes of inflammation in the colored part of the eye and light sensitivity.

Conclusion

A routine eye examination is part of the assessment of overall health. Make sure to get word from the ophthalmologist about the ocular changes. Getting periodic eye examinations should be taken seriously, and the early signs of many diseases can be seen in the eyes.