Eye examination is much more than prescribing glasses for clear vision. Not only can we detect eye problems and diseases, but also some diseases in your body. So eye exams are an important part of your overall health care.
General / Overall Health Conditions
Diabetes: is a vascular disease that affects blood vessels in your body. Your eye is the only organ that has blood vessels that are visible to an naked eye, so we can detect damage to the blood vessels from diabetes. In fact, some people first have diabetes detected by an eye doctor during a routine eye exam.
High Blood Pressure: similar to diabetes, high blood pressure are vascular changes that can affect your vision and can be detected during an eye exam. High blood pressure causes damage to blood vessels causing heart disease, kidney failure, stroke and other health problems.
High Cholesterol: is associated with heart diseases and strokes. When cholesterol level in high in the bloodstream, lipid (fat) may deposit on the cornea in a ring-shape. The ring deposit, arcus senilis, does not affect vision nor does it require treatment. It does however serve as a warning sign for high cholesterol and other vascular disease.
Eye Conditions
Cataracts: clouding and yellowing of the crystalline lens in the eye leading to blurry, distorted and poor night vision.
Macular degeneration: irreversible damage to the macula (center part of retina responsible for central vision) leading to decreased in vision and permanent vision loss.
Glaucoma: irreversible damage to the optic nerve (connection between the brain and the eye) leading to tunnel vision and eventually permanent vision loss.
We take care of our cars by getting it checked every few months. Shouldn’t we do the same for our own health and get eye exams on a regular basis?
