They say your eyes are the windows to your soul...
Certainly they are a unique window to your health. We often learn a lot about the health of your vascular system when we examine your retina for example.
During a thorough exam we can often observe signs of:
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
- Stroke in the eyes or the brain
- Brain tumor
- Thyroid problems
There are several common eye diseases or conditions that can compromise your vision--even destroy it all together. Like many diseases of the body, early detection of some eye disease is the key to saving your sight. Glaucoma is an example of an eye disease that very discreetly robs you of your sight. Glaucoma very rarely has symptoms and is difficult to detect in its early stages. Other common diseases such as Diabetic eye disease, and macular degeneration need to be monitored closely and treated appropriately.
We recommend an eye exam once a year. If you are over 40, getting an annual evaluation could literally add years to your vision!!
Click on the following links to learn more about these common eye-related health issues:
Glaucoma: http://southwestvision.org/glaucoma.aspx
Macular Degeneration: http://southwestvision.org/AMD.aspx
Diabetic eye disease: http://southwestvision.org/diab.aspx
Cataracts: http://southwestvision.org/cats.aspx
Dry Eye: http://southwestvision.org/dryeye.aspx