Changes in your vision can signal health problems, from strokes to diabetes – here’s what to look out for
Our eyes may be the window to our souls, but they are also a window to our health – and we ignore eye problems at our peril.
“The back of our eye is the only place where we can see blood vessels without making an incision in the body,” says behavioural and neurodevelopmental optometrist Bhavin Shah from Central Vision Opticians. This means eyes can reveal a host of health problems from diabetes to high blood pressure. Yet a recent Specsavers survey revealed a fifth of the population can’t remember when they had their last eye test.
As we age, we are more likely to get cataracts. But it’s not only our sight that’s at risk – there’s also a link to developing dementia. A study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology last year found that, compared with people with healthy eyes, the risk of dementia was 11 per cent higher in cataract sufferers. Another study has shown people who have cataract surgery were 30 per cent less likely to develop dementia than people with cataracts who don’t.
Shah explains: “There are a few potential reasons why: studies show sensory impairment can lead to cognitive decline; having cataracts may lead to more social isolation, or people who have cataract surgery may be more health aware.”