Eye Exams Save Lives

Your regular eye exam is designed to detect problems with your vision and eye health, but did you know it can catch other health problems, too?

A number of systemic diseases leave signs in your eyes. Diabetes affects your retina, and may be visible in your eye before any other noticeable symptoms emerge. High blood pressure can alter the blood vessels in the back of your eye. High cholesterol can leave a yellow or blue ring around your cornea and deposits in the blood vessels in your retina. Multiple sclerosis and Lyme disease can cause inflammation of the optic nerve. Lupus can cause swelling in your sclera. Thyroid disease can affect both your eyes and eyelids. Your optometrist may be the first to notice these signs.

A dramatic example of this comes from Hampshire, UK, where a woman visited her eye doctor for a routine eye exam and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Katie Dunn of Romsey, Hampshire, had experienced no symptoms, but during her exam, her optometrist found abnormalities in the backs of both of her eyes, and recommended she have an MRI. The scan found a large meningioma—a slow-growing tumor in her brain—which was pressing on her optic nerves. After two surgeries and radiation therapy, Katie is doing well.

"I could have had it for years. Had it been left undetected then it could have caused other issues," she said. "I feel like the eye test saved my life and eyesight... If it was left any longer, I could have lost my vision completely due to it pressing on my optic nerve."

Read the story here! https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-64221636