What a Routine Eye Exam May Reveal About Your Health

A routine eye exam can help diagnose various eye conditions, check your visual clarity, and determine whether you need glasses, but it can also provide clues to your overall health and well-being. 

During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor examines your retina, blood vessels, and surrounding tissues in the eye. Subtle changes to these areas can provide clues to certain medical conditions. Regular comprehensive eye exams are not only important for your vision but also part of your overall wellness plan. 
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A comprehensive eye exam itself is not the primary diagnostic tool for cardiac, brain, or autoimmune diseases, but your eye doctor may detect certain abnormalities and refer you to the appropriate specialist for proper diagnosis. 

Continue reading for information on how regular eye exams may play a role in your overall health. 
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Diagnosing eye diseases early

An eye exam plays a crucial role in identifying eye diseases. Certain conditions, such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, may not produce symptoms in their early stages. However, through comprehensive eye exams, an eye doctor can diagnose these and other eye diseases that can threaten vision. Identifying eye diseases early can allow treatment to begin promptly. It may slow the progression of the disease and decrease the risk of vision loss. 

Noticing changes due to cardiac issues

When your eye doctor examines your retina, he may be able to identify microscopic spots that were caused by an eye stroke. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, these spots can appear on the retina in healthy people, but they are more numerous in people who have heart disease. 

Having high cholesterol is also a risk factor for coronary artery disease. When examining the eyes, your eye doctor may see a blue or yellow ring around the cornea, which can indicate high cholesterol. Deposits in the retinal blood vessels may also form if cholesterol levels are elevated. 

During an eye exam, if your eye care specialist sees unusual bleeding or kinks in the blood vessels in the back of the eye, it may indicate high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure also increases your risk of the progression of certain eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. 
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​Identifying eye changes due to possible brain conditions

Brain conditions, such as a brain tumor or an aneurysm, can cause changes that an eye doctor may spot. For example, an aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. It can press on cranial nerves and may cause an abnormally dilated pupil or swelling of the optic nerve. 

Additionally, in some cases, a tumor can increase pressure in the brain, leading to swelling in the back of the eye and changes to the optic nerve. These changes are identifiable through an eye exam. 
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Spotting signs of autoimmune diseases

It may be surprising that a comprehensive eye exam can help identify autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune disease develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue as if it is harmful. 

Autoimmune diseases often involve systemic inflammation, which may cause changes in the eyes. In fact, eye abnormalities may be among the first symptoms to appear. For instance, lupus may cause abnormalities in the retinal blood vessels and inflammation of the uvea.

Keep in mind the changes listed above may be caused by other conditions other than an autoimmune disease, and the information gathered during a comprehensive eye exam can trigger further investigation, leading to proper diagnosis. 

Remember, an eye exam is not a substitute for seeing other medical professionals for conditions such as heart disease or suspected autoimmune or brain conditions.

And it is not necessary or recommended to wait until you have symptoms of eye disease or health conditions to see your eye doctor. Having regular comprehensive eye exams is an essential part of an overall health program.

If you would like to schedule an eye appointment with one of our eye doctors, please call our office at 508-746-8600.