Everyday Eye Health

8 health problems your eye doctor can spot

Getting an eye exam is an important way to help protect your eyesight — and your overall health.

Person having their eyes exam by optometrist

An eye exam is a great place to find out if your eyesight has changed; and it can tell you so much more than just that. By looking at your entire eye, an eye doctor can spot all sorts of conditions, from heart disease to Parkinson’s.

How is that possible? During a comprehensive eye exam, you are given eye drops that dilate your pupils. That lets the eye doctor look deep inside the eye, all the way into the back where nerves and blood vessels connect to the brain.

Sometimes, it’s those tiny veins that can alert the doctor that there’s a problem with your blood pressure. If there are too many veins back there, it may be a sign of diabetes.

Of course, an eye exam can’t replace your annual physical with your primary care provider (PCP); but together, your PCP and your eye doctor can uncover serious conditions you may not even be aware of. Find out how the 8 most serious conditions can show up in your eyes.

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1. Cancer

There are several types of cancer that an eye exam can detect. These include leukemia (a blood cancer), brain tumors and melanoma (the most serious type of skin cancer).1

Signs your eye doctor may pick up on include:

  • A bloody eye. When you have leukemia, it can cause blood to pool inside the eyes, making them look bloodshot. Doctors call this hyphema.2
  • Swelling near the back of the eye. Brain tumors can push on the optic nerve, the bundle of nerves that connects the eye to the brain. That causes swelling and other symptoms, including blurry or double vision.3
  • A dark spot on the iris (the colored part of your eye). Melanoma can also cause cells in the iris to turn cancerous. Another symptom — your pupils change shape.4

2. Diabetes

When your blood sugar levels are very high, it can damage the veins and nerve tissue in your eye. That can lead to serious eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Diabetic retinopathy is when the blood vessels in the retina leak or grow uncontrollably. Glaucoma usually happens when fluid builds up in the front part of the eye. The extra fluid increases the pressure in your eye, which damages the optic nerve. Over time, both can cause you to lose your eyesight.

Signs your eye doctor may pick up on include:

  • Swelling either in the lens or the macula. Your macula is the part of your eye that lets you see things straight in front of you. When it swells, your vision can get blurry.5
  • Floaters. Yes, an eye doctor can spot these. They can be a sign of diabetic retinopathy.6
  • Blood at the back of the eye from leaking blood vessels.

You might notice certain changes in your vision too, like trouble focusing on faraway or near objects. Be sure to let your eye doctor know.

3. High blood pressure

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, causes damage to blood vessels, including the ones in your eyes. Nearly half of Americans have high blood pressure, but most don’t have it under control.7

Signs your eye doctor may pick up on include:

  • Changes in the veins in the eye, either because they’re leaking or swelling.8
  • A buildup of fluid in the back of your eye. This can cause the macula to swell.9
  • Changes to the optic nerve, because high blood pressure is restricting blood flow.

Patient getting her eyes checked

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4. Heart disease

High cholesterol and high blood pressure can lead to heart disease. Both can clog the arteries of the heart with plaque, a fatty substance, which puts you at greater risk of heart attacks.10

Signs your eye doctor may pick up on include:

  • A gray or light blue ring around the cornea’s edge.11
  • Spots on the retina called cotton wool spots, says Matt Dixon, O.D., an optometrist with Advanced Eyecare Center in Perry, Georgia. These may indicate that the arteries are inflamed.
  • Yellow bumps around the eye, from cholesterol deposits on the skin.

5. Multiple sclerosis

Experts aren’t sure what triggers multiple sclerosis (MS), but this inflammatory disease damages the central nervous system, which can include the optic nerve. The inflammation there can result in optic neuritis, often a sign of MS. It usually affects only one eye.12

“When someone has optic neuritis, and they’re female and in their 30s, your first thought is multiple sclerosis,” says Dixon. It might also be lupus, another autoimmune disease that mostly affects women in their 30s. An optometrist or ophthalmologist is the one who’s able to diagnose you with optic neuritis.

Signs your eye doctor may pick up on include:12

  • Your eye hurts or aches when you move it.
  • You lose your eyesight in one eye.
  • Colors look faded or less bright.
  • You see flickering lights when you move your eye.

6. Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive brain disease, meaning it usually gets worse over time. When you have Parkinson’s, you can have trouble controlling your movements. You may be shaky or lose your balance easily. It can affect your eyes and eyesight too.13

Signs your eye doctor may pick up on include:14

  • You have dry eyes or you feel like there’s sand in them.
  • Your eyes don’t move together as well as they used to (a doctor may call this “convergence insufficiency”).
  • You’re super sensitive to light.
  • Your eyelids may be crusty or stick together, especially in the morning.

7. Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder. It is known for affecting the joints, but it can also damage other parts of the body, including your eyes.

Signs your eye doctor may pick up on include:15

  • Dry eyes or the feeling you have something in your eyes.
  • Thinning of the white part of your eye, known as the sclera. That’s a sign of inflammation. Your eyes may look red, and the redness won’t go away with eye drops.

8. Thyroid disorder

Your thyroid produces hormones that manage the way your body processes energy. When this small, butterfly-shaped gland creates too many hormones, you may have a disorder known as hyperthyroidism. It can cause your metabolism to speed up, and that can cause vision problems.16

Signs your eye doctor may pick up on include:16

  • Bulging eyes, the result of swollen eye muscles.
  • Red eyes.
  • Puffy eyelids.
  • Extreme light sensitivity.
  • Your eyes hurt or feel painful.

Next steps

Your eye doctor will mention any symptoms that come up during an eye exam. That’s your sign to check in with your PCP. Your PCP can run tests to see if you have these conditions. For multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s, for instance, you’ll probably be referred to a specialist for a consult.

“Your optometrist’s office is more than just a place to get a pair of glasses,” notes Dixon. After a thorough eye exam, it can be the first step in taking care of your overall health.

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Sources:

  1. 20 Surprising Health Problems an Eye Exam Can Catch American Academy of Ophthalmology, April 2022.
  2. Hyphema American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, last updated May 2021.
  3. Signs and Symptoms of Adult Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors American Cancer Society, last updated May 2020.
  4. What Is Eye Cancer? American Cancer Society, last updated March 2023.
  5. Diabetes and Vision Loss Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 2022.
  6. Diabetic Retinopathy National Eye Institute, updated July 2022
  7. Facts About Hypertension Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reviewed January 2023
  8. 8 Things Your Eyes Can Reveal About Your Health All About Vision, January 2020.
  9. Why Healthy Blood Pressure Is Important for Healthy Eyes All About Vision, April 2022
  10. About Heart Disease Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last reviewed March 2023.
  11. What Your Eye Doctor Can Tell About Your Heart Health All About Vision, February 2, 2022.
  12. Multiple Sclerosis: What You Need to Know National Institute of Health Medline Plus Magazine, June 2022.
  13. Parkinson’s 101 Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
  14. Vision Changes Parkinson’s Foundation.
  15. Six Ways Arthritis Can Affect Your Eyes Arthritis Foundation.
  16. Hyperthyroidism National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, last reviewed August 2021.

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