Things Your Eyes Say About Your Health

Are you due to visit the optometrist? Even if you don’t wear glasses and your eyes are feeling fine, 20/20 Eyeglasses Superstore is here to share several reasons why you should get your eyes tested on a regular basis.

"The eye is a unique window into health," says ophthalmologist Andrew Iwach, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and executive director of the Glaucoma Center of San Francisco. "It's the only place in the body where, without surgery, we can look in and see veins, arteries, and a nerve (the optic nerve)."

The eyes' transparency explains why common eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration can be detected early with regular eye exams.

Here are the signs of some other eyes problems.

Disappearing Eyebrows: Shaved eyebrows are a fad (or fashion, if you will) in some circles. But when the outer third of the brow (the part closest to the ears) starts to disappear on its own, this is a common sign of thyroid disease.

A stye that won't go away: The vast majority of the time, a small, raised, often reddish bump along the inner or outer eyelid margin is just an unsightly but innocuous stye (also called a "chalazion"). But if the spot doesn't clear up in three months, or seems to keep recurring in the same location, it can also be a rare cancer.

Bumpy yellowish patches on the eyelid: Xanthelasma palpebra, the medical name for these tiny yellow bumps, is usually a warning that you may have high cholesterol. They're also called "cholesterol bumps" -- they're basically fatty deposits.

Burning eyes, blurry vision while using a computer: You might be a workaholic, and you definitely have "computer vision syndrome" (CVS). The eyestrain is partly caused by the lack of contrast on a computer screen and the extra work involved in focusing on pixels of light.

Increasing gunk in the eye: Blepharitis -- inflammation of the eyelids, especially at the edges -- can have several causes. Two of them, surprisingly, are conditions better associated with other body parts: scalp dandruff and acne rosacea (which causes flushed red skin, usually in the faces of fair-skinned women at midlife).

A small blind spot in your vision, with shimmering lights or a wavy line: An ocular migraine (also called an "ophthalmic migraine," "optical migraine," or "migraine aura") produces this disturbed vision, with or without an accompanying headache. Changes in blood flow to the brain are thought to be the cause.

Red, itchy eyes: Many things can irritate eyes, but itchiness accompanied by sneezing, coughing, sinus congestion, and/or a runny nose, usually screams "I'm allergic!" When the eyes are involved, the trigger is usually airborne, like pollen, dust, or animal dander.

Whites of the eye turned yellowish: Two groups of people most often show this symptom, known as jaundice and newborns with immature liver function and adults with problems of the liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts, including hepatitis and cirrhosis.

Glaucoma and cataracts aren't the only problems that can be seen by gazing into someone's eyes. Looking people straight in the eye may or may not reveal their honesty -- but the eyes *can* tell you about cholesterol, liver disease, or diabetes and many things.

Taking good care of your eyes is extremely important. If you are feeling any changes in your eyes then contact your optometrist right away. Please feel free to contact our in-house 20/20 Eyeglass Superstore Optometrist who will be more than happy to see you as soon as possible. Drop in at any of our three location in Florida for eye exam.