The appearance of your eyes may warn you of some diseases

Although we are accustomed to more “tangible” and obvious symptoms of illness, such as pain, it turns out that in the case of some diseases, our eyes reflect the state of our health. By looking at them, an ophthalmologist can identify symptoms that point to several common diseases. Sometimes we ourselves, by the symptoms associated with the eyes, can notice that our body is not fully functioning as it should.

The appearance of the eyes may indicate common diseases

The eye is a sensitive organ that reacts to adverse changes in our body. This is due to the fact that it has nerve endings, and those, in turn, are connected with the internal organs - when one of them fails, we can be warned about this by the appearance of the eyes. Common diseases that can be “read” in the eyes include:

• Thyroid diseases both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. For example, in Graves’ disease, there may be an increase in intraocular pressure and retrobulbar fibrosis. In a sick person, in turn, pain and dryness in the eyes may appear, the eyelids become red and swollen. Sometimes the eyes protrude - this is due to swelling and hypertrophy of all tissues in the orbit. People with thyroid disease may also have trouble blinking too much.
• Hypertension - if untreated, this condition can lead to hypertensive retinopathy, which leads to swelling of the optic nerve head and a decrease in the diameter of the arterioles. The patient suffers from image distortion and visual impairment.
• Liver disease - then yellowish spots may appear on the surface of the eyeballs, resulting from an increased level of bilirubin in the blood. Damage to the liver cells worsens the detoxification function of this organ, and this is manifested, among other things, by a yellowish tint of the eyes.
• kidney failure - with these diseases, there may be persistent swelling around the eyes, which is an early sign of impaired filtration of the kidneys - then they excrete a large amount of protein in the urine, instead of retaining it in the body. Many inherited kidney diseases have retinal symptoms that are useful for diagnosis. Retinal diseases occur due to the fact that the kidneys and the retina have a common developmental path and structural features.
• Diabetes - with this disease, there may be changes in the small vessels of the retina (retinopathy) and the macula (maculopathy). It can also cause cataracts and inflammation of the lower and upper eyelids. Double vision and damage to the central part of the retina can also be a symptom of diabetes.
• Elevated cholesterol Its symptom is white circles around the eyes. They are also referred to as senile eye rims, but if they appear in young people, they are an alarming signal and usually indicate elevated cholesterol levels.

Diagnosis of diseases by eye examination

The field of medicine that deals with the diagnosis of diseases based on changes visible in the iris is iridology. Some diseases can be diagnosed with an eye exam called an iridology test. This is a non-invasive test in which the doctor carefully evaluates the appearance of the iris. Detailed observation allows you to make a map of the iris, along with a detailed description of the changes that the specialist notices in it. Such an examination allows you to make an initial diagnosis and is useful in its further process. However, it should be remembered that this is only an auxiliary tool in determining the presence of a particular disease. This means that the examination does not reveal all the data about the patient’s state of health and further diagnostics are necessary. Then the patient must undergo other tests prescribed by the doctor.