Kadrmas Eye Care New England
  • Doctors
    • Eddie Kadrmas, MD
    • Richard Strecker, MD
    • Daniel J. Townsend, MD
    • Aimee Gray, OD
    • Ashley Sousa, OD
  • Patients
    • CV-19 Statement
    • Eye Conditions >
      • Cataracts
      • Common Eye Problems >
        • Allergies
        • Amblyopia
        • Astigmatism
        • Blepharitis
        • Chalazion / Stye
        • Conjunctivitis
        • Corneal Abrasion
        • Floaters & Flashes
        • Hyperopia / Farsightedness
        • Myopia / Nearsightedness
        • Presbyopia
        • Strabismus
      • Corneal Diseases & Disorders >
        • Corneal Ulcers
        • Fuchs’ Dystrophy
        • Herpes Zoster / Shingles
        • Keratitis
        • Keratoconus
        • Pterygium
      • Diabetic Eye Disease
      • Dry Eye Syndrome
      • Eyelid Diseases & Disorders >
        • Dermatochalasis
        • Ectropion
        • Entropion
        • Eyelid Lesion
        • Ptosis
        • Tear Duct Obstruction
        • Tumor
      • Eye Trauma / Injury >
        • Blunt Trauma
        • Chemical Injury
        • Penetrating / Perforating Injury
      • Glaucoma >
        • Open Angle Glaucoma >
          • iStent
        • Narrow Angle Glaucoma
        • Neovascular Glaucoma
        • Inflammatory Glaucoma
      • Macular Diseases & Disorders >
        • Macular Degeneration
        • Macular Hole
        • Macular Pucker
      • Neurological Eye Diseases >
        • Blepharospasm
        • Double Vision
        • Ischemic Optic Neuropathy
        • Stroke / Visual Field Defect
        • Temporal Arteritis
      • Retinal Diseases & Disorders >
        • Retinal Tears & Detachments
        • Retinal Vascular Diseases
      • Uveitis & Iritis
    • Resources >
      • Eye Health & Care Blog
      • Retina Digest
    • Videos >
      • Eye Anatomy
      • Cataract
      • Laser Cataract Surgery
      • Children's Vision
      • Common Eye Problems
      • Corneal Conditions
      • Diabetic Eye Disease
      • Dry Eye Syndrome
      • Glaucoma
      • Laser & Refractive Eye Surgery
      • LASIK Over 45
      • LASIK Under 45
      • Macular Degeneration
      • Plastic Eye Surgery
      • Retinal Conditions
      • Refractive Errors
      • Routine Eye Exams
    • Forms & Policies >
      • New Patient Forms
      • HIPAA Policy
      • Referral Forms
    • Financial Information
  • Services
    • Routine Eye Exams >
      • Children
      • Adults
    • Hearing Therapy
    • Specialized Eye Exams >
      • Dilated Eye Exam / Slit Lamp Examination
      • Fluorescein Angiogram
      • Indocyanine Green Angiogram
      • Nerve Fiber Analysis
      • Optical Coherence Tomography
      • Refraction
      • Tonometry
      • Visual Acuity Testing
      • Visual Field Testing
    • Medical, Injection & Surgical / Laser Eye Care
    • Contact Lenses >
      • Contact Lens Types
      • Contact Lens Care & Safety
    • Refractive Eye Surgery >
      • LASIK Eye Surgery
      • PRK
      • Clear Lens Extraction
      • Implantable Collamer Lenses
    • Oculoplastic Surgery & Cosmetic Procedures >
      • Blepharoplasty
      • BOTOX®
      • Restylane®
  • Locations
    • Plymouth
    • Wareham
    • Mashpee
    • Surgery Centers
  • About
    • News
    • Affiliations
    • Patient Reviews
  • Careers
  • Contact
To Schedule Your Eye Appointment, Please Call 1-508-746-8600

Patient Resources - Eye Health & Care Blog

How Hypertension can Affect your Eyes | High blood Pressure Awareness Month

5/1/2020

 
Picture
Blood pressure is the force of circulating blood against your vessels. It is measured by two numbers, including the systolic and the diastolic. The systolic or top number is the pressure as the heart beats. The diastolic or bottom number is the force when the heart rests. 

​According to the American Stroke Association, when the systolic number is 130 or higher and/or the diastolic number is 80 or higher consistently, it is considered high blood pressure or hypertension.  

May is High Blood Pressure Awareness Month, and understanding what increases your risk of hypertension helps you protect your health and vision. 

Causes

Several things can contribute to the development of high blood pressure. For instance, certain medical conditions increase your risk of developing high blood pressure, such as sleep apnea and kidney disease. Being overweight, smoking, and chronic alcohol abuse can also increase the risk of hypertension.

Some people may also be genetically prone to develop high blood pressure. Inheriting certain genes may increase a person’s risk, especially combined with lifestyle factors, such as smoking. 
​

Symptoms

Most people do not have any symptoms when they first develop high blood pressure. That’s why it is essential to have your blood pressure checked regularly.

When blood pressure becomes very high, over time, it can lead to the following symptoms:
​
  • Shortness of breath
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Chest pain 
​

How hypertension affects vision 

High blood pressure can lead to problems with the eyes and vision issues. Your eyes have several small blood vessels. When the vessels are subjected to the effects of high blood pressure, it can lead to damage. Possible adverse effects include:

Eye stroke: Similar to how a stroke can cut off blood flow to the brain, it can also block blood flow to the eye. An eye stroke occurs when blood flow to the retina decreases due to constriction of the vessels or from a clot. There are different types of eye strokes, depending on which vein or artery is affected in the retina.

Symptoms may include
  • Blurry vision
  • Sudden vision loss
  • Floaters

Optic neuropathy: Hypertension can lead to reduced blood flow to the optic nerve, which damages the cells in the eyes. It can lead to permanent vision loss.

Symptoms may include:
  • Flashes in the eye
  • Eye pain
  • Double vision

Choroidopathy: This condition involves fluid buildup under the retina in the eye. It can lead to scarring that interferes with clear vision.

Symptoms may include:
  • A blind spot in central vision
  • Objects may appear smaller

Progression of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration: Various eye diseases can progress faster or become more severe due to high blood pressure. According to research in the Journal of Human Hypertension, high blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for the progression of diabetic retinopathy. 
​

Controlling high blood pressure 

The best way to decrease your risk of vision problems due to hypertension is to manage your blood pressure. Fortunately, there are several ways you can lower your blood pressure and reduce eye complications, including:

Lifestyle changes: Lifestyle changes are often the first step in lowering blood pressure. For instance, maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your blood pressure significantly. According to the American Heart Association, even losing five to ten pounds can help lower your pressure. It is also vital to consider additional lifestyle changes, such as:
  • Quitting smoking
  • Exercising
  • Limiting caffeine
  • Reducing salt
  • Decreasing stress

Medications: Medications are also available that can lower blood pressure. Different classifications of medications include diuretics, beta-blockers, and ACE inhibitors. The type of medication recommended may depend on how severe your hypertension is and what additional medical problems you may have.

Get regular eye exams: Regular eye exams are important for everyone, but if you have high blood pressure, they are even more essential. Regular exams can help your doctor identify changes to your vision before symptoms become severe.

We are happy to answer any questions, or if you would like to discuss whether an appointment with one of our eye doctors would be appropriate at this time, please call us at 508-746-8600. 
​

Comments are closed.

    EYE HEALTH BLOG


    CLICK HERE to sign up for our eye health / care newsletter and have it delivered automatically to your inbox each month!

    Categories

    All
    AMD
    Astigmatism
    Cataract
    Children's Eye Health
    Color Blindness
    Conjunctivitis
    Contact Lens
    Cornea
    Cosmetic Eye Surgery
    Covid 19
    Diabetic Eye Disease
    Driving
    Dry Eyes
    Eye Allergies
    Eye Cancer
    Eye Exam
    Eye Health & Safety
    Eye Infections
    Eye Strain
    Glaucoma
    Injuries
    Low Vision
    Lupus
    Macula
    Myasthenia Gravis
    Organ Donation
    Retina
    Retinopathy
    Scleritis
    Senior Eye Health
    Sports
    Stroke
    Stye
    Uvea
    Vision Correction
    Vision Loss
    Women's Eye Health

    RSS Feed


    Picture

Kadrmas Eye Care New England

55 Commerce Way, Plymouth, MA 02360
14 Tobey Road, Wareham, MA 02571
133 Falmouth Road (Rt 28), Mashpee, MA 02649
Phone Number:
​1-508-746-8600

Hours:
Monday through Friday - 
8 AM - 4:30 PM 
© 2015-2021 Kadrmas Eye Care New England • All Rights Reserved
KadrmasEyeCare.com Privacy Policy • Disclaimer of Medical Liability
Proudly powered by Weebly
Design by DivTag Templates