Your eye doctor not only takes great care in maintaining your vision, but can also detect early warning signs of chronic diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol. Clogged arteries, for instance, can restrict blood flow to retinal blood vessels resulting in blurry vision.

An analysis conducted using claims-based studies shows that those whose conditions were identified through eye exams experienced lower first-year health plan costs and missed fewer work days due to disease than those whose diseases were detected through other means.

1. Retinal Vein Occlusion

Floaters may block blood flow to retinal veins, causing fluid to leak out through leaky vein walls and cause pressure build up that causes walls of veins to bleed, irritating eye tissue. A sudden blurry or distorted vision in one eye may indicate this problem and lead to loss of central vision, known as macular edema. Fluid seeping out may also promote abnormal growth of new blood vessels which bleed causing vitreous hemorrhage – another potential complication from blocked veins!

These problems often stem from cholesterol that breaks off from your carotid arteries in your neck and travels down into retinal veins, where it may block them up or even block larger arteries directly; such occlusions are known as branch retinal vein occlusions (BRVO) or central retinal vein occlusions (CRVO).

Fluorescein angiography, however, can help identify symptoms more reliably by injecting dye into one hand or arm and taking photographs to observe how retinal blood vessels absorb it from photos taken through an open eye exam. This test is particularly helpful in detecting central retinal vein occlusion; those affected typically recover some vision within months but any additional damage must be treated such as high blood pressure, diabetes or elevated cholesterol levels in order to keep future damage to vision from happening.

2. Retinal Vein Plaques

Eye doctors typically recommend consulting an optometrist when vision begins to blur, yet many don’t realize their eyes could also provide warning signals about overall health issues. Mirjeta Abazaga, OD from Upstate University in New York believes signs of high cholesterol in eyes can indicate it has spread throughout a person’s system.

Cholesterol deposits may accumulate in retinal blood vessels and block circulation to the macula, leading to macular edema and blurry or hazy vision in one or both eyes. Occluding plaques may even bleed into surrounding tissue causing macular hemorrhages if left undiagnosed and treated early enough. When diagnosed and treated early enough however, nonischemic central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) can less likely progress into an ischemic form and require treatment than its counterpart ischemic central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).

A 71-year-old male veteran presented with a 6-week history of decreased vision in his right eye. He was taking hydrochlorothiazide (5 mg daily) and aspirinmeprobamate 200 mg twice daily to treat longstanding hypertension as well as gabapentin 300 mg twice daily for migraine headaches. Carotid Doppler ultrasound and echocardiography tests were normal, and auscultation revealed no bruits.

A dilated funduscopic evaluation revealed moderate retinal vein dilation and tortuosity, along with scattered dot and blot hemorrhages throughout his fundus. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated multiple cholesterol emboli at the first bifurcation of inferior retinal blood vessel close to optic disc margin, indicative of Hollenhorst plaques that do not significantly impact visual acuity.

3. Hypertensive Retinopathy

High blood pressure (hypertension) can harm the tiny blood vessels that supply retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eye. As a result, these blood vessels swell and leak blood, leading to hypertensive retinopathy – an eye condition caused by untreated high blood pressure that affects one in three American adults. An eye care professional will be able to spot signs of HBP such as bends or kinks in blood vessels behind retina during a comprehensive and dilated eye exam.

Over time, chronic high blood pressure can cause retinal blood vessels to narrow or rupture, allowing blood leakage into retinal tissue resulting in vision loss. Hypertensive retinopathy can be divided into mild, moderate and severe forms. Grade 1 involves mild retinal arteriolar narrowing; grade 2 includes more severe generalized narrowing with focal areas of narrowing; while grade 3, sometimes known as malignant hypertensive retinopathy is marked by optic disc swelling or “edema.”

Your eye doctor can detect these changes with an ophthalmoscope, and their appearance usually correlates with other areas of damage inflicted upon blood vessels due to hypertension and atherosclerosis. Treatment often entails taking medication like beta blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors which aim at long-term blood pressure reduction; laser surgery may also be utilized in severe cases caused by hypertensive retinopathy.

Studies have demonstrated that mild to moderate hypertensive retinopathy is associated with an increased risk of subclinical and clinical stroke, other cerebrovascular events and congestive heart failure independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, it serves as an accurate predictor of blood pressure control with antihypertensive therapy.

4. Hypercholesteremia

An eye exam allows your physician to view all of your small blood vessels. If these blood vessels are affected by high cholesterol levels, your eye doctor can see this and inform you of a possible increased risk for heart disease; potentially treatable with medication.

Cholesterol deposits can be an indicator of familial hypercholesteremia (FH), the most prevalent inherited cardiovascular condition that causes atherosclerotic plaque formation and coronary artery disease in those as young as their 20s and 30s. FH patients have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease by 50% compared to non-familial hypercholesterolemia patients; additionally they may develop patches of yellowish cholesterol buildup on knees, elbows, or hands and an increased chance of corneal arcus or white/gray rings around iriss as early as their 20s or 30s.

Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, and even help protect against complications related to diabetes, such as retinopathy. For optimal success, initiate fasting lipid panel testing at a young age followed up with regular appointments with your health care provider and an optimized diet, weight loss and quitting smoking as part of an overall strategy for reaching an ideal cholesterol level.

5. Stroke

Diseases that threaten overall health and wellness often show early indications in the structures of the eyes. Refractive errors that cause blurry vision are the most frequently seen, while conditions such as thyroid disease, autoimmune disorders and cancer can all be detected through eyes examination. Untreated these can cause blurry or doubled images which if untreated can eventually lead to permanent blindness.

Cataracts occur when small particles of foreign matter accumulate on an image-forming lens and block its passage, causing blurry vision but treatable; an eye exam can identify cataracts and help determine the most effective remedy.

As with sudden vision loss, a sudden decrease that lasts several minutes may be an early warning of stroke. A doctor can order tests to measure blood flow in carotid arteries to see whether symptoms could be caused by narrowed or blocked carotids arteries.

One indicator of high cholesterol levels is yellow-colored bumps under the skin called xanthelasma, caused by excessive accumulation of cholesterol deposits in the body. Another way of measuring elevated levels is through heart condition known as aortic regurgitation, in which one of the valves does not close correctly and this condition can be identified by noting how pupil dilates and contracts in response to heartbeats.

UnitedHealthcare published in 2014 found that early detection of hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol via eye exams resulted in lower first-year health plan costs, missed fewer work days due to illness and were less likely to be terminated from employment than their counterparts who learned of these diseases only after symptoms manifested themselves – thus making optometry an integral component in screening for these high-cost chronic illnesses.