YOUR EYES...WINDOWS TO YOUR SOUL?
I'm not sure about your soul, but your eyes can reveal quite a bit about your general health. I won't attempt to discuss every possible clue that your eyes may reveal, but rather mention a few of the more important entities that may show up during a regular eye exam, or vision analysis. Diabetes is a disease that certainly can affect vision and its progress is mirrored in the appearance of changes in the retina. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is another systemic condition that sometimes reveals itself through the eyes. Several neurological disorders, such as myasthenia gravis, stroke, and even brain tumors may reveal their early signs and symptoms in the eye doctor's office.
NONE of these conditions are COMMONLY diagnosed in your eye doctor's chair, however. There are appropriate medical specialties such as your internist or neurologist that will have the expertise to make that diagnosis. Or consult your primary care physician first for the appropriate referral. The maladies that I refer to in this article are those that SOMETIMES show up during a ROUTINE eye exam.
It is actually quite rare to diagnose diabetes from an eye exam. This insidious disease affects your vascular system from the kidneys to your eyes but it generally does not reveal itself through the eyes for 10 to 20 years, depending on severity. It is important, however, for diabetics to have their eyes checked more frequently as changes in the retina may reflect changes elsewhere in the body, and laser surgical treatment can retard damage to the retina.
Hypertension, which is generally asymptomatic (no symptoms), is OFTEN detected during a routine eye exam. The blood vessels in the retina take on a different appearance and may suggest that a blood pressure screening is in order. A thyroid disorder may also be detected by your eye doctor. The inability to close your eyes completely or a slight bulging of the eyes may lead to the diagnosis of Grave's disease. A drooping of one eyelid, especially toward the end of a long day may be the FIRST sign of myasthenia gravis. Differences in pupil size and the way your pupils react to light may infer a cranial lesion and the need for further evaluation in the neurologist's office. A recurrent iritis (inflammation of the iris) may be an indication of collagen disease, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, Lyme disease, and many others. The common thread here is the fact that these conditions may be undiagnosed prior to the eye exam. Your eye doctor will not "diagnose" these conditions, but he may refer you to the appropriate physician, having seen an early sign that may be suggestive of the disease.
Iridology, as defined by Webster, is the study of the iris of the eye for indications of bodily health and disease. This is an interesting and intriguing concept but one that probably doesn't sit too well in the medical community. Various sections of the iris are analyzed and depending on the patterns and colors of the many fibers that make up the iris, iridologists may suggest that you have a liver problem or some other disease in a remote location. I would never suggest that there is no foundation for these findings, but be wary of any "off the wall" conclusions.
In any case, the WINDOWS TO YOUR SOUL do reveal some interesting information about your total health. An examination of your eyes does not replace a good physical, but it does give eye doctors an early warning of some systemic events that may otherwise go undetected for some time.