Your Eyes as Windows to Your Health

Regular eye exams can offer clues about conditions elsewhere in your body

You can tell a lot about someone’s mood by looking into her eyes. But eyes also reveal clues to health problems throughout the body—sounding an early warning about developing diseases or existing ones that are getting worse.

“Many health conditions show themselves
in the eyes,” says ophthalmologist Avani Shah, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Health Network. “That’s because the eyes are the only part of the body where you can see bare nerves, arteries and veins. They are sometimes the first place where damage happens.”

Just by looking in the mirror, you can detect the bulging eyes typical of an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). And yellowing of the whites of the eyes may signal liver disease. Other health problems are only uncovered during an eye exam. Many are blood vessel diseases that also affect the tiny vessels in the retina.

Here are some of the conditions an eye doctor may discover:

Hypertension (high blood pressure)—An eye exam often reveals the first hints of this silent killer. The doctor may see a corkscrew effect in the retinal vessels at the back of the eyes, indicating blood vessels under pressure elsewhere in the body. Out-of-control blood pressure can lead to hypertensive retinopathy, which causes tiny bulges in the eye vessels (microaneurysms), bleeding and vision loss. “Sending retinopathy patients to the hospital immediately can result in treatment that prevents heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems,” Shah says.

Carotid artery disease—Small pieces of plaque—clumps of cholesterol
and cellular debris that restrict blood flow—in the carotid arteries of the neck can break off and lodge in retinal arteries. “In the eyes they’re called Hollenhorst plaques, which indicate carotid artery disease,” says Jonathan Bortz, D.O., an internist with the health network. Patients are sent for immediate treatment to prevent a stroke.

Diabetes—Too much glucose coursing through blood vessels eventually damages them, including in the eye. This is called diabetic retinopathy, which can show up as microaneurysms in its early stages. Doctors can take steps at that point to better control diabetes and prevent eye damage. Later, retinal vessels become blocked, and fragile new ones develop that bleed and form scar tissue, causing irreversible vision loss. “That’s why we regularly examine the retinas of patients with known diabetes or those recently diagnosed,” Bortz says.

Tumors—When a doctor sees abnormal eye movements or different-sized pupils, it sometimes signals tumors of the brain or optic nerve, and occasionally brain aneurysms and strokes.

Autoimmune conditions and infections—Inflammation in the uvea (middle part of the eye including the colored iris) is called uveitis. This is often the first sign of autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Crohn’s disease. Uveitis also can result from exposure to toxins including pesticides.

Clearly, it’s wise to keep an eye on your eyes. “If you’ve never had vision problems, get an eye exam by age 40,” Shah says. “If your eyes are healthy, get rechecked every two years.”

Published from Healthy You Magazine, September October 2010

This page last updated 8/19/10 04:09 PM