The connection between eye health and heart health
Few realize that comprehensive eye exams can also detect cardiovascular conditions. The eyes provide a view into the body’s vascular system, allowing eye care professionals to spot beginning signs of heart disease during an exam. The retina, contains a network of blood vessels that can reflect overall cardiovascular health. During an eye exam, professionals examine these vessels for signs of systemic diseases. Changes in the retinal blood vessels may indicate conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes – all major risk factors for heart disease.
Detecting hypertension through eye exams
Hypertension, also known as a “silent killer” may not cause noticeable symptoms until significant damage has already occurred. However, an eye exam can detect hypertensive retinopathy, which is a condition where high blood pressure affects the retinal blood vessels. Signs of this can include narrow arteries, bleeding, or fluid leakage, all of this can be seen during a dilated eye exam. Early detection of this can prompt further cardiovascular evaluation and management potentially helping prevent more severe complications.
What eye exams can reveal about heart health
An eye stoke is another name for a retinal artery occlusion, retinal vein occlusions, or embolisms. This occurs when the artery or vein is blocked by a circulating blood clot, or the blood vessels are narrowed/stiffened. The symptoms that can occur are blurry vision and sudden/gradual change in vison in one eye. Patients who deal with retinal vein occlusion could have a higher risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular death.
