Scheduling an eye exam is one of the best ways to protect your vision and detect underlying eye problems, but it can also provide surprising insights into your overall health. Even minor eye-related changes can point to possible underlying medical issues, including diabetes and heart disease.
Mary Demirjian, OD, and our team at Wide Eye Optometry in Encino, Santa Clarita, and Palmdale, California, encourage all people to schedule an eye exam at least once a year. Keep reading to learn what your eyes can say about your overall health.
You’ve probably heard the saying “the eyes are the windows to the soul,” but they can also provide key information about your health and well-being. For example, subtle changes to the retina — the light-sensitive tissue that converts light into electrical signals your brain interprets into vision — may indicate diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease caused by diabetes.
Similarly, changes to your eyes’ blood vessels can indicate high blood pressure (hypertension), while yellowish plaque around your cornea (a condition called arcus senilis) may point to high cholesterol.
Routine eye exams can also help evaluate the health of your brain. For instance, if we notice swelling of your optic nerve (optic neuritis), it could be an early sign of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Another test, called tonometry, measures the pressure inside your eye. While eye pressure naturally fluctuates, sudden or unexplained changes — especially when paired with other symptoms — may prompt further testing for neurological concerns like an aneurysm or brain tumor.
In addition, narrowing of your retinal blood vessels or retinal damage could mean you’re at risk of a stroke, which prevents adequate blood flow from reaching your brain.
Many age-related eye conditions, such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration, develop slowly over years or decades. Because the damage develops gradually, annual exams can help detect them early, when they’re most responsive to treatment.
Although these conditions aren’t curable, prompt treatment can slow their progression, protecting your eyes and keeping your vision sharp.
Has it been more than a year since your last eye exam? Now is the perfect time to get back on track. Even if you’re simply looking to update your eyeglasses or contact lens prescription, a comprehensive screening can detect potential issues and safeguard your vision.
To get started, schedule a visit at your nearest Wide Eye Optometry office in Encino, Santa Clarita, or Palmdale, California, today.