N O N - E Y E

C O N D I T I O N S T H A T

A N E Y E E X A M C A N

U N C O V E R

H A R G R A V E E Y E C E N T E R

T H E I M P O R T A N C E O F

E Y E E X A M S

Having your eyes checked periodically can help identify vision

problems while they are still in their early stages. This allows you and

your eye doctor to take steps to eliminate the problem or stop or slow

its progress, but visiting your eye doctor can also have other benefits.

The following are several health conditions that can be detected

through an eye exam.

D I A B E T E S

During a routine eye exam,

it’s possible for your eye

doctor to see blood and

other fluids leaking out of

small, fragile blood vessels in

the retinas; this is called

diabetic retinopathy. In fact,

many people don’t realize

that diabetes is a leading

cause of blindness in the U.S.

C A N C E R

An eye exam can also reveal

changes in the eye’s

structure as well as unusual

growths. This can include

ocular melanoma. This rare

form of cancer develops

within the cells responsible

for creating the

pigmentation in the eye. An

eye exam can also detect a

type of skin cancer called

basal cell carcinoma. It

shows up as lesions on the

eyelids.

H Y P E R T E N S I O N

While the eye exam is being

conducted, the doctor may

notice bleeding in the new

blood vessels located in the

eye. They may also detect

bends or kinks in some of the

vessels leading to the retina

that are normally straight.

This could be a sign the

person has high blood

pressure.

H I G H

C H O L E S T E R O L

During an eye exam, the

doctor may notice that the

cornea has a yellow ring

around it. This could be an

indicator that the person

has high cholesterol. This

can put them at increased

risk for stroke or heart

attack. If the eye doctor

sees the blood vessels in the

retina are beginning to

develop a yellow plaque,

this also can be a sign of

high cholesterol.

T O S E E T H E F U L L L I S T

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