The eye is described as the mirror of the soul, but it can also be an important interface for revealing underlying health conditions in the body, which many of us may not be aware of.
The eye may be the key to detecting high blood pressure, so it would be better to know the range of eye-related symptoms that may be cause for concern.
The blood vessels in the retina, the layer of tissue at the back of the eye, may be damaged because high blood pressure is not treated. Damage to the retina as a result of high blood pressure is known as hypertensive retinopathy.
Untreated, persistent high blood pressure can damage the retina, the tissue at the back of the eye that receives the images we need to see.
The condition can lead to symptoms including double vision, loss of vision and headaches.
A study, published in the Journal of the National Library of Health, looked at the effect of high blood pressure retinopathy on eye health.
The study noted that “poorly controlled high blood pressure affects several systems such as the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, brain, blood vessels, and retina.”
“The damage to these systems is known as target organ damage. Controlled hypertension affects the eye causing three types of eye damage including choroidopathy, retinopathy and optic neuropathy.”
Choroidopathy is a disease that causes fluid to build up under the retina, the back part of the inner eye that sends sight information to the brain.
The fluid leaks from the layer of blood vessels under the retina.
Symptoms of choroidopathy include dark, blurred blind spots in the center of the vision, distorted straight lines in the affected eye, or smaller or more distant objects in the affected eye.
There are several types of retinopathy, but they all involve disease of the small blood vessels in the retina.
The study explained: “Signs of retinopathy can be seen when looking at the retina through the pupil using an ophthalmoscope.”
Optic neuropathy is an umbrella term describing damage to the optic nerve in the eye.
This is the nerve at the back of the eyeball that transmits visual information from the eye to the brain, allowing vision.
This condition gets worse over time, when it is not treated.
Symptoms of optic neuropathy include seeing flashing lights when moving the eyes, colors that may appear paler or brighter than they normally would, and loss of vision or pain in the face and eye socket.