No other organ in the body can show the condition of your veins and arteries as easily as your eyes. The eyes can help diagnose even early-stage vascular diseases caused by metabolic disorders. Your doctor can see in your eyes the early signs of diseases that can also affect your eyesight. That’s why it’s important to have your eyes checked regularly, even if you don’t suffer from any vision problems.

Only a doctor can assess the information your eyes are telling you.

During the eye examination, your doctor will look for the following signs:

Headaches
The cause of headaches is not always just weather-related. Headaches, especially in the eye and forehead area, can be caused by serious illnesses. The list of diseases can be very long, ranging from sinusitis, an unidentified tumour or ^glaucoma1 to functional disorders of the eye muscles that cause ^strabismus2. An eye doctor can find early signs of these diseases during a vision screening. This makes the diagnosis and treatment of headaches very important.

1. Glaucoma: high pressure inside your eye.
2. Strangulation: eyes not in a straight line.

Hypertension (high blood pressure)
One of the first signs that can alert you to high blood pressure is uneven and narrow blood vessels. That’s why an eye check-up by an eye doctor goes beyond just checking your eyesight and can be an excellent prevention of hypertension.

Diabetes
If you feel hot and thirsty, have temporary
vision loss, weight loss or weight gain, something is wrong. Your retina can tell your doctor your story. Small circular retinal haemorrhages, or so-called ‘cotton wool spots’, can be a sign of diabetes. Erratic vision, which depends on fluctuations in blood sugar levels, can be another sign of diabetes. A visit to your eye doctor can help to clarify this.

Stroke
If you complain of high blood pressure, you need to be sure that your treatment is controlling any daily spikes in your blood pressure. The retina provides important information that allows your doctor to decide whether you should monitor your condition particularly closely because of the risk of stroke. Narrow blood vessels in the retina can be detected during an eye examination, so your doctor can reduce your risk of stroke by giving you the right advice.

High cholesterol
You like to eat well – who doesn’t? But what about your lipid metabolism? During an eye examination, your doctor will immediately detect your past “sins”. Lipids stick to the blood vessels in the retina and change their structure. Vascular ^sclerosis1 and blindness due to lipid deposition can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Early detection of high cholesterol will help you to prevent these diseases and prolong your life expectancy.

1. Sclerosis: Any pathological hardening and thickening of tissue.

Multiple sclerosis
Hesitation in the eyes, loss of field of vision and uncoordinated or involuntary eye movements can be early signs of multiple sclerosis. Of course, an eye examination is not a substitute for a thorough examination by a general practitioner or specialist. However, your eyes can tell you a lot about your health.

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