A 48-year-old man walked into Houston LASIK & Eye, a LASIK facility in Houston, for an eye checkup. He noticed that a gray ring had formed around his iris. He wanted to know if it was serious and if a laser eye surgery could fix it. Instead, his eye doctor advised him that he should see a physician. The gray ring was caused by the accumulation of fats in the cornea. This symptom meant that his cholesterol was very high, putting him at risk for a heart attack and stroke.
Eye Symptoms That May Have Greater Health Indications:
Twitching Eyes
Most cases of eye twitch are benign, triggered by stress, caffeine, tiredness, nutritional imbalance, or dry eyes. However, if your eye twitch is accompanied by sweating, shakiness, and blurry vision, you may be suffering from abnormally low blood sugar levels.
Drooping Eyelids
A weakness of the eye muscles is the first symptom of myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease. Early detection and treatment are keys to surviving this potentially deadly disease.
Drooping eyelids can also be a sign of diabetes. As diabetes damages the blood vessels supporting the retinal nerves, this can result in the drooping of eyelids.
Dry Eyes
If you’re going through menopause, you may experience dry eyes as changes in your hormonal levels can also affect the lubrication mechanisms of the eye. A more serious condition that causes dry eyes is Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects the glands the produce moisture, such as the eyes and mouth. Dry eyes may be treated with tear replacement drops or through the insertion of punctal plugs into the eye.
Bulging Eyes
If you have eyes that protrude like a bug’s, it can be a sign that your thyroid is overactive (hyperthyroidism) or Grave’s disease. Other symptoms include unexplained weight loss, irregular pulse, frequent bowel movements, and irritability.
Other diseases that can cause eyes to bulge are glaucoma, hemangioma, histiocytosis, and leukemia.
Inflammation of the Retina
The retina is the thin layer of tissue lining the back of the eye. Eye doctors are able to determine underlying eye-related disease or systematic illness just by looking at the retina. When white spots (a sign of a blockage in the blood vessel) called cotton wool spots or small hemorrhages appear in the retina, this can be a sign of HIV or AIDS.
Red Eyes
The eyes are the only parts of the body where doctors know how the condition of a patient’s veins, arteries, and blood vessels without cutting him open. Damage to the blood vessels in the retina, for example, can be a symptom of untreated hypertension. High blood pressure can cause the blood vessels to swell and even burst, leaving blotches of red across the whites of both eyes.
Houston LASIK & Eye leads in providing premium LASIK technologies to Houston, Sugar Land, and the surrounding region. The Center’s award-winning medical director introduced revolutionary technologies such as iLASIK to the region. This technology is used by NASA astronauts, Navy SEALS and Air Force fighter pilots. At Houston LASIK & Eye, you can now receive the same treatment. For more information, please call (281) 240-0478 or visit us at www.houston-lasik.com.
About the Author
Amjad Khokhar, M.D. is Chief LASIK Surgeon at Houston LASIK & Eye. Add Dr. Khokhar on Google+ here.
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/features/what-your-eyes-say-about-your-health?page=2
http://www.webmd.boots.com/eye-health/features/what-your-eyes-say-about-your-health
