May is Healthy Vision Month!

               The VIEWSletter                                                                    May 2019

May is Healthy Vision Month! We may visit our doctors regularly to check our overall health, but what about the health of our eyes? Scheduling an eye examination with your eye doctor is just as important as getting a yearly checkup with your primary care physician! There are many health conditions that can be detected just by getting your eyes checked!

Lets take a look at a few conditions that can be detected by getting a dilated eye examination:

Diabetes:

In the initial stages of diabetic retinopathy many patients will be asymptomatic. However, if diabetes is affecting your eyes, you may experience floaters (spots or dark strings in your field of vision), blurred & fluctuating vision, dark or empty areas in your vision, impaired color vision and vision loss. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, call your eye doctor immediately.

HYPERTENSION

Photo: ufhealth.org

Hypertension:

While checking the retina your eye doctor is able to get a full view of the optic nerve, macula and all of the surrounding blood vessels. If hypertension is present, the blood vessels in the retina may exhibit bends, tears or kinks.

Autoimmune Disorders

Autoimmune Disorder:

If there is any edema present in the eye, this may be a sign of Lupus or another autoimmune disorder.

High Cholesterol

High Cholesterol:

The cornea may have a yellowish tint to it or a yellow ring around it, which can be a sign of high cholesterol. Another indication of elevated cholesterol levels are present plaques in the blood vessels in the retina. 

Thyroid:

One of the signs of thyroid disease are protruding or bulging eyeballs. This is known as Graves Disease. 

 Cancer

Cancer:

When cancer (i.e. ocular melanoma) is present, the structure of the eye may be unusual. Ocular melanoma is a type of cancer that develops in the cells that produce pigment in the eye. Getting a comprehensive eye exam can also detect skin cancer. Basal cell carcinomas can appear on the eyelids and can even spread to the brain through the eye. 

Tumors

Tumors:

Irregularly shaped pupils or droopy eyelids can possibly indicate an aneurysm or a neck tumor.

You may think your eyes are healthy, but visiting your eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye examination is the only way to be sure. Most of these conditions will not present symptoms, so it is important to get checked by your eye doctor yearly. 

To schedule your comprehensive eye examination, call Twin Forks Optometry at 631-740-9384.