Authored by: Dr. Narendra Armogan
You may be wondering – what does high blood pressure have to do with my eyes? Truth is, you’d be quite surprised at the number of things that can affect your eye health. This means that it’s important to get your routine check-up to ensure that you’re of optimal health.
If you do have high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), you could develop an eye disease known as hypertensive retinopathy. This generally happens after your blood pressure has been high over a prolonged period of time.
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High blood pressure can cause your retina’s blood vessel walls to thicken. This eventually restricts blood from reaching the retina, limiting its function, and putting pressure on the optic nerve.
You may have hypertensive retinopathy if you’re experiencing:
- Narrowing of blood vessels
- Fluid oozing from the blood vessels
- Spots on the retina known as cotton wool spots and exudates
- Swelling of the macula (the central area of the retina) and optic nerve
- Bleeding in the back of the eye
The best way to cure this disease is to make efforts to lower your blood pressure by implementing changes to your lifestyle. This includes making fruits and vegetables a frequent part of your diet, losing weight, and engaging in regular physical activity. If you’re a smoker, try your best to quit as it’s not doing a single thing to help your health!
Remember, you only have one set of eyes and that many health conditions can affect them. Make your health a priority!
If you think you might be experiencing symptoms of hypertensive retinopathy, or wish to schedule a routine eye exam, please contact us.