What Your Optometrist Can Detect About Your Overall Health
Your eyes may be the windows to your soul but they are also portals to your overall state of health. A comprehensive eye exam by a Doctor of Optometry can reveal a surprising number of ailments, such as diabetes and heart conditions. Your optometrist looks at the your eye movement patterns, the veins in the back of the eye, dark spots, the state of the optic nerve, and more. Not only will this check-up ensure you look after your eyes’ health in the best way possible, but could show up any other aspects of your health that need attention or further tests. 8 HEALTH CONDITIONS AN OPTOMETRIST CAN DETECT FROM AN EYE EXAM Diabetes. More than 29 million people in the US now have diabetes, and 8 million, or 27%, are undiagnosed. An eye exam can tell whether you are at risk for diabetes based on the retinal vascular changes and blood vessel patterns in your eyes. A visit to the optometrist could well be your first step toward diagnosis of diabetes and control of this serious chronic condition. High blood pressure. Hypertension is an indicator of other conditions, such as heart disease. An optometrist can tell whether you need to have your blood pressure checked by looking at the veins and arteries located in the back of your eye. Skin cancer. Not many people know that you can get skin cancer inside your eyes. A speck or new dark spot in your eye is what you should watch out for. An optometrist will be able to provide more information on whether a spot is cause for concern and needs to be investigated further. Brain pressure. Being overweight doesn’t just show up in your waistline: carrying an unhealthy weight is also noticeable by the curving of the optic nerve, buckling under pressure, as it were. If the optic nerve is buckling, the optometrist will recommend tests to see i Continue reading >>
Eye Conditions Related To Diabetes
Diabetes can affect your eyes in a number of ways. The most serious eye condition related to Diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. Early diagnosis is vital. Most sight-threatening diabetic problems can be managed if treatment is carried out early enough. Looking after your Diabetes and regular retinal screening can help to reduce your risk of developing the eye conditions related to Diabetes. We’ve produced a downloadable guide that will give you an in-depth understanding of Diabetes related eye conditions as well as advice on coping with the conditions. Diabetic retinopathy The most serious eye condition associated with Diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. It occurs when the tiny blood vessels at the back of your eye become blocked and leak. There are different types of diabetic retinopathy - Background diabetic retinopathy: Background retinopathy does not usually affect your sight, but your eyes will need to be monitored carefully to make sure your retinopathy doesn’t become worse. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy: If background retinopathy gets worse, many of the retinal blood vessels become damaged or blocked. When these changes affect a large area of your retina, blood supply to the retina is reduced. The body tries to fix this by growing new blood vessels on the retinal surface or into the vitreous gel. Unfortunately, these new vessels are weak and they bleed very easily, which may affect your vision. Diabetic maculopathy: When your macula (the central part of your retina) is affected by your retinopathy, you are said to have diabetic maculopathy. This means that your central vision, which is required for seeing fine detail and colour, will be blurred. You can get a more in-depth look at the different types and associated treatments in our Understanding diabetes gu Continue reading >>
Eye Bleeding With Diabetes
I had an eye exam recently, and the doctor told me there was bleeding in my left eye because of my diabetes, but never told me what I should do about it. What can you suggest? – Edward, Iowa I understand your concern; eye complications caused by diabetes can be frightening. But the good news is that there are treatments available and things you can do to minimize the progression of the disease. Diabetes-related eye disease is a chronic, progressive condition, and the treatment varies depending on the stage of the specific complication. However, for all individuals who have diabetes, prevention of further damage is crucial, and studies have shown that this can be achieved by tightly controlling glucose levels and blood pressure. You should strive to maintain your hemoglobin A1C level at less than 7 percent and your blood pressure at 120/80 or less. Besides maintaining normal or close-to-normal glucose levels, other interventions depend on the stage of your eye disease and the odds of loss of vision. If you had a comprehensive eye exam by an eye specialist, there might have been other findings that are relevant to the decision regarding treatment. For example, is the bleeding a leak from small blood vessels? Is there new vessel formation? This is important to determine because new vessels are fragile and rupture easily, so you'll want to know if the bleeding is coming from them. Another factor is the location of the bleeding. Is the retina swollen? The answers to these questions determine the stage of your eye disease. If the stage of complication is advanced enough and/or your vision is threatened, you might benefit from a procedure called photocoagulation. This usually closes off the bleeding vessels and prevents the formation of new fragile vessels. There are other p Continue reading >>
Prediabetes And Your Vision: Know The Facts
More than 29 million people in the United States are living with diabetes. 86 million Americans—more than one out of three—have prediabetes, and vision problems are one of the foremost complications accompanying this disease. It is important to know what those problems are and, most importantly, how you can delay diabetes from taking hold. Diabetes And Its Impact On Vision Currently, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults. The most common eye diseases caused by diabetes are retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Here are the facts: Diabetic retinopathy accounts for 12 percent of all new cases of blindness in the U.S. Once a person is diagnosed with diabetes, they are 40 percent more likely to develop glaucoma. A person with diabetes is 60 percent more likely to develop cataracts. What Is Prediabetes? Prediabetes is a condition in which a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but aren’t yet high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Studies show that nearly eight percent of people develop diabetic retinopathy during the prediabetic stage, before they have been officially diagnosed with diabetes. Blurred vision is also a prominent symptom of prediabetes. If you are experiencing vision changes, get your blood sugar levels tested, as many people with prediabetes are already suffering complications from diabetes. (Statistics in the video are from 2010 studies.) What Can You Do? Diet and lifestyle changes can delay, if not entirely prevent diabetes from fully taking hold—especially during the pre-diabetic phase. Here are some things you can do to slow the onset of diabetes: Eat healthy foods. Increase fruit and vegetable intake and decrease fat and calorie intake. Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Exercise helps muscle c Continue reading >>
What Your Eyes Can Tell You About Your Cholesterol Levels
Up Next High cholesterol puts us at risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes and retinal vein occlusion. Wait, what was that last part -- retinal vein occlusion? The eyes aren't just the windows to your soul; it turns out they're also a window into your arteries. Just like how too much cholesterol builds up on the walls of arteries and forms a thick plaque, retinal vein occlusion happens when there's a blockage in the blood flow to and from the eye. Narrow or block the central retina artery with cholesterol and you block the connection between the optic nerve and the brain. The result? A blood clot that causes sudden, painless vision loss. According to a study published in the May 2008 issue of the "Archives of Ophthalmology," people with high total cholesterol levels were two-and-a-half times more at risk for retinal vein occlusion than those with normal or low cholesterol levels. And if you have high blood pressure (levels over 120/80), your risk jumps to three-and-a-half times higher than people with healthy levels. What can you do? Just as recommended for preventing coronary artery disease, the National Institutes of Health recommends adopting a low-fat diet, getting regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight to decrease the risk of retinal vein occlusion. And don't forget to have routine eye exams -- they're essential. During an annual eye exam, your doctor can check your vision and look for signs of high cholesterol. Primarily an ophthalmologist will look for: Corneal arcus (Arcus senilis) -- A thin white or gray ring around the edge of the patient's cornea is actually a deposit of fat and cholesterol in the eye. While this is frequently present in older patients, it isn't considered commonplace in younger p Continue reading >>
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that occurs in people who have diabetes. It causes progressive damage to the retina, the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious sight-threatening complication of diabetes. Diabetes interferes with the body's ability to use and store sugar (glucose). The disease is characterized by too much sugar in the blood, which can cause damage throughout the body, including the eyes. Over time, diabetes damages the blood vessels in the retina. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when these tiny blood vessels leak blood and other fluids. This causes the retinal tissue to swell, resulting in cloudy or blurred vision. The condition usually affects both eyes. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they will develop diabetic retinopathy. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness. Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include: Seeing spots or floaters Blurred vision Having a dark or empty spot in the center of your vision Difficulty seeing well at night When people with diabetes experience long periods of high blood sugar, fluid can accumulate in the lens inside the eye that controls focusing. This changes the curvature of the lens, leading to blurred vision. However, once blood sugar levels are controlled, blurred distance vision will improve. Patients with diabetes who can better control their blood sugar levels will slow the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy. Often the early stages of diabetic retinopathy have no visual symptoms. That is why the American Optometric Association recommends that everyone with diabetes have a comprehensive dilated eye examination once a year. Early detection and treatment can limit the potential for significant vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. T Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Diabetic Retinopathy: Q&a
Q&A Menu To find the Q&As most helpful to you, please click on one of these subjects: How Does Diabetes Affect Eyes? Q: How does diabetes affect your eyes? — L.L., Connecticut A: Diabetes causes problems in the retina with what are collectively called microvascular abnormalities. The small blood vessels develop microaneurysms and leak blood. New blood vessel growth (neovascularization) occurs. Unfortunately, these blood vessels are weak and also leak. These leaks (hemorrhages) can cause irreversible damage to the retina and permanent vision loss. Patients with controlled diabetes do better than those with uncontrolled diabetes. However, even a person whose diabetes is under perfect control can still develop diabetic retinopathy — hence, the need for yearly retinal exams. — Dr. Slonim Q: Does diabetic retinopathy get progressively worse? — F.R. A: Yes. When left unrecognized and untreated, diabetic retinopathy can get worse and eventually lead to blindness. Diabetic retinopathy can even get worse despite use of the best treatments that currently exist for it. — Dr. Slonim Q: My father has type 2 diabetes and he is seeing double. We went to the hospital about a week ago and they said the diabetes had affected a nerve on the right eye. Can medicine get his sight back to normal? — W.C. A: Diabetes can affect any one of the three cranial nerves that are responsible for movement of the eyes. Diabetes is one of the more common conditions associated with sixth nerve (Abducens nerve) palsies. Paralysis of this nerve affects the lateral rectus muscle that allows the eye to look outward. There is no specific medicine for this. The paralysis can be temporary and last a few months or it can be permanent. — Dr. Slonim Q: Can diabetes cause you to have eye infections suc Continue reading >>
Diabetic Retinopathy: Your Questions Answered
Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and the leading cause of new-onset blindness in American adults. Effective treatments are available to preserve vision for eyes at risk of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. The most opportune time for these treatments is before any vision has been lost, since even advanced diabetic retinopathy can be present when a person has no vision complaints or problems. What causes diabetic retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina, the thin, light-sensitive inner lining in the back of your eye. These changes are called diabetic retinopathy. How does diabetes damage the vessels in the retina? Elevated levels of blood glucose can damage the body in various ways, including harming the blood vessels in your eyes. Diabetes can affect the lining of the blood vessels in your eyes, causing them to thicken and develop leaks. Poor circulation in the retinal vessels can compound these problems by causing the production of fragile new vessels. What are the stages of retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy is broadly classified as nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy. After 20 years of diabetes, most persons with diabetes will shows some signs of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, which is generally not sight-threatening itself unless macular edema is present. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is a more serious stage of retinopathy and poses a greater risk of hemorrhage into the vitreous humor, the clear gel that fills the center of the eye, or detachment of the retina leading to severe vision loss. Diabetic macular edema can occur with either nonproliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy. There are various levels of nonproliferative diabetic re Continue reading >>
Diabetic Eye Disease
A A A Do I need to follow-up with my doctor after being diagnosed with diabetic eye disease? Diabetes is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide, and, in the United States, it is the most common cause of blindness in people younger than 65 years of age. Diabetic eye disease also encompasses a wide range of other eye problems, for example, Diabetes may cause a reversible, temporary blurring of the vision, or it can cause a severe, permanent loss of vision. Some people may not even realize they have had diabetes for several years until they begin to experience problems with their eyes or vision. Diabetes also may result in heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and circulatory abnormalities of the legs. The American Diabetes Association estimates that 29.1 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 8.1 million people additional people went undiagnosed. (This population is unaware that they have diabetes.) In the United States 1.2 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year. In the US in 2012, the total annual cost of diagnosed diabetes was 2.45 billion. Eighty-six million people in the US have prediabetes, and 9 out of every 10 don't know they have it. Of the 86 million people with prediabetes, without lifestyle changes 15% to 30% of them will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years. Lifestyle management has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and prediabetes by at least two-thirds. It can also slow or halt the progression of prediabetes to diabetes. People can try to avoid the problems associated with diabetes, including those that affect the eyes, by taking appropriate care of themselves by the following: Maintain a normal level of weight Watch your diet, especially limiting unhealthy types of fats and Continue reading >>
Eyes - What They Can Tell You About Your Health
A new generation of high-tech eye scans can detect everything from brain tumours to heart disease Eyes, they say, are the windows of the soul, but technological advances mean that they are rapidly becoming windows to our hearts, arteries, brain and nerves, too. Tests offered by high street opticians and optometrists have always been useful for spotting eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration, and some other conditions such as diabetes, which can be detected by tiny bursts in the eye’s blood vessels. But now, if you’re prepared to pay extra, some opticians are offering high-tech tests involving laser scanning, digital photography and computerised assessment of your eye’s structure that can help to give an early diagnosis of other health problems too. More than half of all sight loss is due to preventable causes and experts believe that up to a quarter of people with undiagnosed diabetes would have the condition spotted if they went for an eye test. Traditionally, the optician has found ill-health hotspots by peering into your eye with a hand-held light/magnifier (an opthalmoscope). But now, new advanced instruments are making eye examinations not just more accurate but capable of diagnosing a much wider range of conditions. The eye has untapped potential as a means of diagnosing illness early because it is the only place in the human body where internal blood vessels and nerves can be viewed working undisturbed. High-quality images produced by these new techniques improve the chances of detecting conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, diabetes and brain tumours through a simple eye check. “Opticians have long been very good at assessing the front of the eye for problems like cataracts,” says Continue reading >>
10 Health Risks Detected By Eye Exams
Eyes are the window to the soul.. and your overall health as well! Having a regular eye exam has helped people prevent countless diseases that most people don’t even know have any connection with the eyes: diabetes, arthritis, cancer, etc. The eyes really do tell all and often signal a problem in its early stages before it would be detectable anywhere else. Your eye doctor can find warning signs long before your family doctor can discern a problem. For this reason, it is vitally important for everyone to have a regular eye exam. Most people are unaware of the benefits of a routine eye exam. According to a weather.com article, there are 13 general health problems that can be detected in their early stages in the eyes. Keep in mind that this list is by no means comprehensive. Cancer Often we talk about the importance of wearing sunglasses. The reason this is so highly stressed is because just like your skin, your eyes are vulnerable to ultraviolet rays. About 5-7% of the population will get a freckle at the back of their eye. Freckles in the eyes need to be monitored just like freckles on the skin to ensure that they don’t grow or change shape. For this reason, both a yearly eye exam and wearing sunglasses are very important. Diabetes An eye doctor can detect diabetes before your doctor! Small specks of blood in the back of the eye indicate an unhealthy blood sugar level, which is a symptom and cause of diabetes. Rheumatoid Arthritis Often times when people come to the eye doctor complaining of dry or burning eyes, it is an early sign of rheumatoid arthritis. Other symptoms include dry mouth and chronic joint pain. Coming in for a yearly eye exam could help you catch arthritis early and take steps to alleviate the pain. STDs The most common STD that eye doctors are ab Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Eye Disease
Retinopathy - diabetic; Photocoagulation - retina; Diabetic retinopathy Diabetes can harm the eyes. It can damage the small blood vessels in the retina, the back part of your eye. This condition is called diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes also increases the chance of having glaucoma, cataracts, and other eye problems. Causes Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage from diabetes to blood vessels of the retina. The retina is the layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye. It changes light and images that enter the eye into nerve signals, which are sent to the brain. Diabetic retinopathy is a main cause of decreased vision or blindness in Americans ages 20 to 74 years. People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at risk of this condition. The chance of developing retinopathy and having a more severe form is higher when: You have had diabetes for a long time Your blood sugar (glucose) has been poorly controlled You also smoke or you have high blood pressure If you already have damage to the blood vessels in your eye, some types of exercise can make the problem worse. Check with your health care provider before starting an exercise program. Other eye problems that can occur in people with diabetes include: Macular edema. Blurry vision due to fluid leaking into the area of the retina that provides sharp central vision. Retinal detachment. Scarring that may cause part of the retina to pull away from the back of your eyeball. High blood sugar or rapid changes in blood sugar level often cause blurred vision. This is because the lens in the middle of the eye cannot change shape when it has too much sugar and water in the lens. This is not the same problem as diabetic retinopathy. Symptoms Most often, diabetic retinopathy has no symptoms until the damage to your eyes is severe. This Continue reading >>
How Do Eye Doctors Check For Diabetic Retinopathy?
Early treatment of serious diabetic retinopathy can improve the chance of saving your sight. For some people, diabetic retinopathy may be one of the first signs that they have diabetes. Adults and children who have diabetes should have a dilated eye exam at least once a year. If you have diabetic retinopathy, you may need to visit an eye doctor more often than once a year. This helps the doctor monitor the disease and determine the best treatment options. The eye doctor can decide if you need an eye exam more often. At a complete eye exam, called a dilated eye exam, the eye doctor widens the pupil of the eye with eye drops to allow a closer look at the inside of the eye. This exam may not be part of an eye exam for a new pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses. Dilated Eye Exam Credit: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health The blood vessels in the eyes cannot be distinguished from the surrounding structure of the eye in conventional imaging techniques. Doctors can however document potential damage caused by diabetic retinopathy by injecting a substance that "lights up" the veins. This simple procedure provides a clear picture of the retinal blood vessels for diagnosis. Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Eye Disease
Retinopathy - diabetic; Photocoagulation - retina; Diabetic retinopathy Diabetes can harm the eyes. It can damage the small blood vessels in the retina, the back part of your eye. This condition is called diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes also increases the chance of having glaucoma, cataracts, and other eye problems. Causes Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage from diabetes to blood vessels of the retina. The retina is the layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye. It changes light and images that enter the eye into nerve signals, which are sent to the brain. Diabetic retinopathy is a main cause of decreased vision or blindness in Americans ages 20 to 74 years. People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at risk of this condition. The chance of developing retinopathy and having a more severe form is higher when: You have had diabetes for a long time Your blood sugar (glucose) has been poorly controlled You also smoke or you have high blood pressure If you already have damage to the blood vessels in your eye, some types of exercise can make the problem worse. Check with your health care provider before starting an exercise program. Other eye problems that can occur in people with diabetes include: Macular edema. Blurry vision due to fluid leaking into the area of the retina that provides sharp central vision. Retinal detachment. Scarring that may cause part of the retina to pull away from the back of your eyeball. High blood sugar or rapid changes in blood sugar level often cause blurred vision. This is because the lens in the middle of the eye cannot change shape when it has too much sugar and water in the lens. This is not the same problem as diabetic retinopathy. Symptoms Most often, diabetic retinopathy has no symptoms until the damage to your eyes is severe. This Continue reading >>
Diabetic Retinopathy
What Is Diabetic Retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. When these blood vessels are damaged, they may leak blood and grow fragile new vessels. When the nerve cells are damaged, vision is impaired. These changes can result in blurring of your vision, hemorrhage into your eye, or, if untreated, retinal detachment. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in the United States. What Is Diabetic Retinopathy, Testing, and Treatments Watch these video animations to learn more about diabetic retinopathy, the affect that the diabetic retinopathy has on the eyes, and tests and treatments options for the condition. Topics covered Symptoms Blurred vision Sudden loss of vision in one eye Seeing rings around lights Dark spots or flashing lights The symptoms described above may not necessarily mean that you have diabetic retinopathy. However, if you experience one or more of these symptoms, contact your ophthalmologist for a complete exam. It is also important to note that pregnancy and high blood pressure may aggravate diabetic retinopathy. Causes People with untreated diabetes are 25 times more at risk for blindness than the general population. The longer a person has had diabetes, the higher the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. Fortunately, with regular, proper eye care and treatment when necessary, the incidence of severe vision loss has been greatly reduced. If you have diabetes, your ophthalmologist can help to prevent serious vision problems. Diabetic retinopathy can cause vision loss in two ways: Macular Edema Macular edema is a condition where your retinal blood vessels develop tiny leaks. When this occurs, blood and fluid leak from the retinal blood vessels and f Continue reading >>
