Your eyes can provide important insights into your overall health. Beyond checking your vision, a comprehensive eye exam is a powerful diagnostic tool that can reveal underlying health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and even signs of serious diseases like cancer.
Here's how our eye doctors at Eye Doctors in Vienna can help safeguard your vision and overall health.
How Eye Exams Detect Health Conditions
During a comprehensive eye exam, one of our eye doctors will examine different structures of your eye, including the retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels.
All of these provide critical information about your general health since the eyes are one of the only places in the body where we can see blood vessels without invasive procedures. Here are some of the key conditions that a comprehensive eye exam can detect:
1. Diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes, occurs when high blood sugar damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina. These changes are often visible during a retinal exam, making regular eye care a crucial part of early detection.
Signs of diabetic retinopathy include:
- Leaking blood vessels
- Swelling in the retina
- Abnormal blood vessel growth
- Hemorrhages in the eye
2. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
High blood pressure, or hypertension, can cause damage to the blood vessels in the retina. During an eye exam, your eye doctor might notice signs of hypertensive retinopathy, which can indicate that your blood pressure is dangerously high.
Common signs include:
- Narrowing of the retinal blood vessels
- Bleeding in the eye
- Swelling of the optic nerve
Catching these signs early can help you get the medical attention needed to control your blood pressure. This is key in reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke.
3. High Cholesterol
Your eyes can also reveal signs of high cholesterol. One indicator of elevated cholesterol levels is the appearance of yellow or white deposits in the retina's blood vessels, which can deteriorate vision.
Detecting high cholesterol through an eye exam allows you to take preventative steps to reduce your risk of heart disease, including changes to your diet and lifestyle.
4. Autoimmune Disorders
Some autoimmune diseases, such as Sjogren's syndrome, lupus, or multiple sclerosis, can affect your eyes and vision. Symptoms like dry eyes, blurry vision, and inflammation can often point to these disorders.
By catching these signs early, our eye doctors can work with your healthcare provider to determine if further testing or treatment is necessary to manage your condition.
5. Cancer
Although considered rare, a comprehensive eye exam can detect signs of certain types of cancer. Symptoms like unusual spots on the retina or abnormal growths can also sometimes point to cancers in other parts of the body, including breast cancer and lung cancer.
While these findings are rare, they emphasize the importance of comprehensive eye exams in maintaining your overall health.
Request A Comprehensive Eye Exam in Vienna
Request an appointment with Eye Doctors to ensure your eyes and body stay healthy for years to come.