This adage is a variant of "Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi," meaning "The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter," which belongs to Cicero (106-43 B.C.), famous Roman politician, lawyer, philosopher, orator. It later became "Vultus est index animi'" and "Oculus animi index," which are generally translated "Eyes are the mirror (s) of the soul" namely one can find out a person's thoughts by looking into the eyes.
Good ophthalmologists might not guess your thoughts but they certainly can tell a lot about your health while they are looking into your eyes. Comprehensive dilated eye exams can catch a wide range of medical conditions and literally can save your life.
- High blood pressure-harms the eye's retina, lens, and optic nerve
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Diabetes, high blood glucose (sugar)-damages the eye's retina, lens, and optic nerve. Diabetics are at higher risk for glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. The latter leads to blindness as it makes blood vessels in the retina to swell and leak fluids into the eye. However, about 90% of diabetes-related blindness can be avoided by getting an annual eye exam.
- Jaundice, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, indicates a liver, gallbladder, or pancreas problem in addition to infections, cancer, and blood disorders.
- Alzheimer's
- Migraines
- Hormonal imbalance
- Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an incurable form of inflammatory arthritis causing chronic pain in young adults
- Xanthelasma, fatty deposits on the eyelids, may be a sign of medical conditions with increased blood lipids such as certain cancers, biliary cirrhosis, pancreatitis, hyper-lipidemia, hypothyroidism, hypercholester-olemia
Regular eye exams should become an annual habit not only for your eyes' health but also for detecting the above medical conditions and prevent the worse from happening.
No comments:
Post a Comment