The Link Between Eye Health and Overall Health

The Link Between Eye Health and Overall Health

The Link Between Eye Health and Overall Health

The eye is a window to your health. This is true because there is a solid connection between your eye health and overall well-being. Eye exams let you know if you have vision problems or need eyeglasses or contacts. It also helps you understand your general condition since the health of your eyes is one of the leading health indicators.

 

 

An Indicator of Underlying Health Issues

 

 

There are many things you can learn from the condition of your eyes. For instance, blurred vision, watery eyes, and frequent squinting could mean you have dry eyes. Ophthalmologists can look at your eyes and see clues to what is happening elsewhere in your body. Your eyes can reveal serious health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
 

It often happens – you have slight visual problems that lead you to visit an eye doctor for a checkup. After the eye exam, you find out you have a vision issue, which is somehow related to or caused by a serious health problem. It often happens with the patient completely asymptomatic, but one look by the eye doctor reveals something more.

 

This shows you how important it is to get an eye checkup regularly. Even when you don’t have physical or obvious symptoms, your doctor can find out if you are unwell simply by examining your eyes. That said, below are some health conditions possibly associated with your vision loss.

 

 

Diabetes

 

 

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness and the number one in adults aged 20 to 74. If you leave diabetes untreated, it can lead to eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, glaucoma, and cataracts. It’s a silent disease that can cause you to lose your eyesight slowly.

 

 

High Blood Pressure

 

 

When your doctor views the blood vessels in your retinas, they might be able to see some early signs of high blood pressure. This disease, also known as hypertension, is a silent disease affecting numerous body parts. It affects the heart, kidneys, brain, arteries, and eyes, making it important to detect and treat it early.

 

 

Melanoma and Other Types of Cancers

 

 

It’s rare for cancers to manifest in the eye. However, some types can spread to the eyes, including breast cancer. It can spread to the eyes and be detected when you undergo certain eye tests, even before other tests detect it. There’s also melanoma, primarily in the eyes, but sometimes it can also appear in other body parts.

 

 

Inflammatory Conditions

 

 

Inflammation in the eye has a well-known connection to inflammatory diseases, like Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, lupus, and inflammatory bowel disease. Unlike hypertension and diabetes, doctors pick up if you have inflammatory conditions through the eye.

 

 

Set Up an Appointment with Your Eye Doctor

 

 

Seeing how the eyes are an important indicator of your health, getting a yearly eye exam is important. Even if you don’t have any visual issues to correct, you should still go for a routine eye checkup and a whole body checkup.

 

Schedule an eye exam today at Today’s Vision by calling us at (949) 518-0055 or visiting our clinic in Laguna Niguel, California.

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