Our eyes are good indicator of our health. Our eye doctors can easily detect a serious health problem by just looking at them. That is why we should not take our eyes for granted. See to it that you go to an eye doctor regularly to have your eyes checked even if you have 20/20 vision.
It is recommended to have a comprehensive eye check-up especially when we reach the age 40. According to eye experts, it is important that those with family history of eye problems should be seen earlier while those who are experiencing problems with their vision should consult a doctor immediately. The problem with most eye problems is that they do not have symptoms.
Our eyes are the only area in the body where you can see a bare nerve, a bare artery and a bare vein without undergoing surgery. So, whenever our eyes suffer from a disease, it probably occurs in the rest of the body.
We list down some eye symptoms that can pose possible health threats.
Eye sign #1: Leaky blood vessels
Health threat: Diabetes
Having increased blood sugar level can clog or even damage the retinal blood vessels over time, making them weak and porous. Eye doctors can easily spot the seepage or the new, abnormal blood vessels that grow to replace fault ones. Diabetes, in serious cases, can cause blindness or vision loss.
Eye sign #2: Silver or copper-colored arteries
Health threat: High Blood Pressure
Our eyes can indicate that a person has hypertension because the eyes give retinal arteries silver or copper hue that most eye doctors call it copper wiring. This condition, if left untreated can cause blood vessels in the retina and throughout the body to harden, increasing the risk for deadly cardio diseases such as heart attack or stroke.
Eye sign #3: Swollen blood vessels on the whites
Health threat: Allergies
Our eyes are prone to airborne allergies such as pollen, dust and animal dander. As defensive mechanism, our eyes secrete anti-inflammatory histamines and other natural chemicals without side effects. This can lead to swollen ocular surface blood vessels. It also causes our eyes to turn red, itchy and watery. When you experience these symptoms, consult to your trusted eye doctor.
Eye sign #4: A mole on the eye’s inner layer
Health threat: Melanoma
A type of cancer known as choroidal melanoma affects the pigmented part of the eye known as choroid. Where there is pigment, a melanoma occurs. This cancer is similar to little raised surfaces or moles in the pigment layer of the retina. Diagnosing this cancer is crucial since it has no other symptoms.
Eye sign #5: Inflammation
Health threat: Autoimmune disease
Uvea, the inner part of the eye is the usual target of most autoimmune diseases. That’s why our eyes appear normal on the outside. An autoimmune disease like lupus, the eyes suffer from sheeted blood vessels and hemorrhages. Any inflammation in the eye indicates a 30 to 50 percent chance that a patient has undiagnosed autoimmune disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Severely dry eyes because of damaged tear glands are another symptom of an autoimmune disease.
Eye sign #6: Bulging eyes
Health threat: Thyroid disease
Eyes that appear to bulge may be a sign of thyroid disease. Abnormal levels of thyroid hormone make tissues surrounding the eye to swell, looking as if the eye bulges.
Eye sign #7: Yellow eyes
Health threat: Liver diseases including hepatitis and cirrhosis
Diseases of the liver turn our eyes yellow because there is a buildup of bilirubin, a compound created by the breakdown of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule inside red blood cells.
Eye sign #8: Droopy eyes
Health threat: Brain Tumor/ Myasthenia Gravis (MG)
Droopy eyes can be associated to aging. However, in rare cases, it can be a symptom of fatal diseases. One is brain tumor and the other one is a neuromuscular disease known as myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder that weakens muscles throughout the body.
