The Windows to Wellness

Hypertension has no visible symptoms except in the eyes. High blood pressure causes the retina’s blood vessels to swell or shrink, signaling trouble in blood flow to the kidneys, brain and heart. The Journal of the American Medical Association found a direct correlation between these retinal changes and an increased risk of heart failure.

Feeling uneasy? Those who suffer from mental illness (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc.) have different gazing patterns than others. A study in 2013 by the Journal of Abnormal Psychology determined that participants with depression took significantly longer to look away from a negative stimuli, such as sad photographs, than those who did not report having depression, perhaps because they reflect those emotions.

The next time you consider putting off your annual eye exam, consider this: The eyes can be the first indicators of oncoming health hurdles.

If your eyes seem like they bulge, it could be a sign your thyroid is causing trouble. Graves Disease, caused by hyperthyroidism, is caused when the gland produces excessive hormones, which attack tissues around the eye socket. This leads to inflammation behind the eye, pushing it outward, which occurs in over 50 percent of Graves patients.

Eye exams are preventative for more than cataracts. Inflammation in the optic nerve can signal trouble in the nervous system. This nerve inflammation—optic neuritis—is seen in approximately 75 percent of patients with multiple sclerosis. In up to one in four cases, it’s the first sign that leads to diagnosis, sometimes coupled with blurry vision and eye pain.

Bloodshot, achy eyes can happen for any number of reasons, but if you’ve been getting enough sleep and the problem persists, it could point to a more serious issue. Inflammation of the eye, uveitis, is typically a sign of inflammation in other areas of the body. It happens when the immune system begins attacking its own bodily tissues, trademarks of conditions like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. In the latter, 25 percent of sufferers will experience these eye troubles.

Diabetes is the condition most likely to be diagnosed during an eye exam. High blood sugar thins blood vessels in the retina, causing proteins to travel into the macula (doc speak for the part of your eye that focuses). It can also lead to miniscule hemorrhages in the retina and lipid deposits visible as yellow splotches to an ophthalmologist. Remember folks: It’s important to get your annual eye exam, whether you think you need new glasses or not.