The eyes can tell you a lot about your general health

 I’m a “House” fan, hopefully some of you reading this are too, if you watch this show regularly you might’ve noticed that eye health signs and symptoms are a recurring theme.   This is because the eyes can tell us a lot about a person’s general health.  Many people are aware of this but most people aren’t sure what we are looking for.

Lets break this down from the front of the eye to the back…

The cornea can show us if you have a liver problem, high cholesterol, or are on certain types of medications.  Broken blood vessels on the front of the eye can indicate thin blood or poor blood vessel integrity.  Inflammation behind the cornea can indicate an autoimmune condition throughout the body.  Early cataracts, especially a certain type of cataract, can indicate changes in blood sugar levels.

The eyes are the only place where you can directly look at a person’s vasculature (blood vessels) without any sort of invasive procedure.  Looking at blood vessels and the area surrounding the vessels can give us an indication if you have problems with blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes.

If the optic nerve becomes pale or swollen this can indicate if a person has multiple sclerosis or possibly a brain tumor.  Changes to the optic nerve can also create changes to the way that the pupils react.  Pupil reaction can let us know about different types of strokes or tumor location.

This is not an exhaustive list but gives you an idea of how important it is to have regular eye exams even if you feel that your vision is good.  Many of these conditions have none or very little symptoms in the early stages.

Here at View Optometry, our team is focused on providing comfortable and convenient eye care to the residents of North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Deep Cove and Lynn Valley. If you are looking for a friendly team of eye care professionals then we would love to welcome you at View Optometry! Whether you are overdue for a n eye exam or simply experiencing a change in eyesight, we would be delighted to help you and send you on your way!