How eye health can indicate blood pressure issues

The eyes are one of the first parts of the body that indicate that someone has high blood pressure, often known as 'the silent killer'.

This article in The Conversation - How your eyes could help diagnose high blood pressure - explains the important role that optometrists have in recognising hypertension in adults.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is characterised as a blood pressure reading of 140/90mmHg or higher. Causes of hypertension include:

• Drinking too much alcohol
• Smoking
• Being overweight
• Not doing enough exercise
• Eating too much salt (British Heart Foundation)
  

Overtime, hypertension contributes to damage across the organs of the body, including the eyes. In order to diagnose someone with high blood pressure by looking at a their eyes, optometrists will look for:

• Fluid build-up in the eye which may be causing swelling
• Inflammation of the blood vessels
• Blood vessel dysfunction

In terms of eye-related symptoms of hypertension, individuals may experienced blurred vision, which is attributable to the damaged blood vessels of the eye.