1. Diabetes: among the earliest signs of diabetes may be blurred vision, double vision, or a leakage of the blood vessels in the back of your eyes.  Our advanced retinal scanning technology will help our eye doctors find any such problems.
2. High blood pressure: as in diabetes, high blood pressure often shows telltale signs on the blood vessels on the retina.  An image of the retina will be performed during your complete exam to check for any abnormalities.
3. Stroke: Retinal blood vessel evaluation is important!  If you are at risk for a stroke we may actually find small plaques in the blood vessels of your retina.
4. Cancer: the back of the eye is a place where cancer may migrate to from elsewhere in the body.
5. Arthritis: a red and inflamed eye may result in a diagnosis of “iritis”.  An iritis is an inflammation of the iris and is associated with certain types of arthritis.
6. Multiple Sclerosis: this progressive disease results in damage to the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.  One of the first signs of MS is often an inflamed optic nerve – this may show up as a sudden painful eye with blurred vision.
7. Liver disease: a yellowish tone to the whites of the eyes is a hallmark of liver disease.
8. Thyroid disease: an overactive thyroid may cause bulging eyes, dry eyes and double vision.

These are some of the better-known systemic conditions that an eye exam can help diagnose – there are many others.  While an eye exam cannot substitute for regular health evaluations by your family doctor, the role of your optometrist is to work closely with your family doctor to ensure that any and all risk factors are promptly identified and communicated.

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