Cholesterol & Your Eyes
- By Monica Coelho
- •
- 10 Jan, 2023
- •
Cholesterol Month Awareness
October is the National Cholesterol Month and because of that we wanted to bring some awareness of how High Cholesterol can affect your eyes. High cholesterol happens when you have too much fat substance in your bloodstream, this being caused mainly by a poor diet and sedentary life (eating fried & fast food regularly, smoking, drinking alcohol, not exercising and being overweight). When there is a high level of cholesterol present in your body, it starts to block your blood vessels leading to heart problems, strokes or even eye problems.
Eye Symptoms of High Cholesterol
The high presence of bad cholesterol in your blood can cause problems when it starts to gather in your eyes. It is hard to diagnose underlying problems, but some of the warning signs are:
- White, grey and yellow deposits forming around the cornea;
- Blurry Vision;
- Yellow bumps around the eyes.
These symptoms usually lead to three very serious conditions: AMD, Retinal Vein Occlusion & Corneal Arcus.
AMD: Age Related Macular Degeneration is a common eye condition where cells in the middle of the retina die or are damaged, causing loss of central vision as a result of damage in the macula, making it difficult to see fine details clearly. That damage can be caused by drusen - which are small yellow deposits of fatty lipids that accumulate on the retina. Drusen can be a harmless sign of age, but when in great quantities and larger ones, it may indicate a early stage of AMD. Note that most damage that occurs in the macula cannot be reversed and AMD affects overs 600,000 people across the UK.
Retinal Vein Occlusion: Happens when these lipids break blood vessel walls, causing cloth/s in the retina, leading to either blurred vision or vision loss. Although some occlusions can be removed only causing temporary vision problems, sometimes the patient can have suffer permanent damage in the eye.
Corneal Arcus: When cholesterol forms around the rim of the cornea, indicating a very high level of cholesterol that might lead to other health problems.
How to protect your eyes?
Cholesterol can be prevented with a good diet, good hydration & exercise. A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables will provide you with antioxidants, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C and E, reducing the fat in your bloodstream, the pressure in your veins and the likelihood of developing a cloth. Try to avoid red meats, drink at least 1.5lt of water daily and having a exercise routine, would also help to lower your cholesterol numbers and improve your health.
If you have any symptoms like the ones described above, or if you are just looking to have a full eye health examination, don't hesitate to email or phone us to book that appointment. We will be more than happy to see you.
At Care Optics - Eye Care, We Care
Eye Symptoms of High Cholesterol
The high presence of bad cholesterol in your blood can cause problems when it starts to gather in your eyes. It is hard to diagnose underlying problems, but some of the warning signs are:
- White, grey and yellow deposits forming around the cornea;
- Blurry Vision;
- Yellow bumps around the eyes.
These symptoms usually lead to three very serious conditions: AMD, Retinal Vein Occlusion & Corneal Arcus.
AMD: Age Related Macular Degeneration is a common eye condition where cells in the middle of the retina die or are damaged, causing loss of central vision as a result of damage in the macula, making it difficult to see fine details clearly. That damage can be caused by drusen - which are small yellow deposits of fatty lipids that accumulate on the retina. Drusen can be a harmless sign of age, but when in great quantities and larger ones, it may indicate a early stage of AMD. Note that most damage that occurs in the macula cannot be reversed and AMD affects overs 600,000 people across the UK.
Retinal Vein Occlusion: Happens when these lipids break blood vessel walls, causing cloth/s in the retina, leading to either blurred vision or vision loss. Although some occlusions can be removed only causing temporary vision problems, sometimes the patient can have suffer permanent damage in the eye.
Corneal Arcus: When cholesterol forms around the rim of the cornea, indicating a very high level of cholesterol that might lead to other health problems.
How to protect your eyes?
Cholesterol can be prevented with a good diet, good hydration & exercise. A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables will provide you with antioxidants, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C and E, reducing the fat in your bloodstream, the pressure in your veins and the likelihood of developing a cloth. Try to avoid red meats, drink at least 1.5lt of water daily and having a exercise routine, would also help to lower your cholesterol numbers and improve your health.
If you have any symptoms like the ones described above, or if you are just looking to have a full eye health examination, don't hesitate to email or phone us to book that appointment. We will be more than happy to see you.
At Care Optics - Eye Care, We Care
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Also known as "Surfer's Eye", Pterygium is an elevated, wedged-shaped growth from the lining of the eyelid onto the cornea. Although is benign, the growth itself can permanently disfigure the eye, reduce significantly the eyesight or even cause blindness. It became known as "Surfer's eye" because it is usually a consequence of being exposed to bright sun for long hours, specially by the water or snow - which reflects the UV rays to your eyes.
Causes
As written above, UV exposure seems to be one of the main reasons for Pterygium development, but wind and dust can also cause it as this leads to Dry Eye Disease, which by consequence will lead to this condition. Genetics may also play an important part, as some people seem to be more at risk than others.
Signs & Symptoms
Pterygium usually appears on the side of your eye that is closest to the nose, but it can also appear on the other sometimes. It is common to have it in one eye only, although sometimes it may appear on both eyes.
There are people who don't experience any symptoms or require treatment in the beginning, but as the growth develops, there can be redness, gritty, itchy or burning sensation, the eyes can become irritated and even swollen.
When the Pterygium starts to invade the cornea, it distorts the shape of the front of the eye, causing the curve of the cornea to change, leading then to refractive errors (Astigmatism in most cases).
Treatment
The treatment depends on the size of the Pterygium itself. If it's just a small growth, your Optometrist/Ophthalmologist can advise the patient on lubricants (eye drops or gels) to temporary reduce symptoms like redness, swelling, itchy or gritty felling.
If the Pterygium is more advanced, the only option is then surgery.
How to avoid it
As previously said, UV radiation and exposure seems to be one of the main reason leading to Pterygium. For that you have the perfect solution that is available for everyone - sunglasses . A good pair of sunglasses will filter the UV rays, giving you a sharper vision but also protecting you from conditions like Pterygium, Cataracts, Glaucoma, etc. Make sure to buy your sunglasses from a Optician instead of a shop non-related to eye care. A good pair of sunglasses should have UVA, UVB and UVC protection, and usually those shops will only have one of those protections - or even none.
We remind you that if you have any of these symptoms or any other, if you need to book an appointment or if you have any queries, please contact us over phone or email. We will be very happy to help you.
Keep in mind: At Care Optics - Eye Care, We Care
Causes
As written above, UV exposure seems to be one of the main reasons for Pterygium development, but wind and dust can also cause it as this leads to Dry Eye Disease, which by consequence will lead to this condition. Genetics may also play an important part, as some people seem to be more at risk than others.
Signs & Symptoms
Pterygium usually appears on the side of your eye that is closest to the nose, but it can also appear on the other sometimes. It is common to have it in one eye only, although sometimes it may appear on both eyes.
There are people who don't experience any symptoms or require treatment in the beginning, but as the growth develops, there can be redness, gritty, itchy or burning sensation, the eyes can become irritated and even swollen.
When the Pterygium starts to invade the cornea, it distorts the shape of the front of the eye, causing the curve of the cornea to change, leading then to refractive errors (Astigmatism in most cases).
Treatment
The treatment depends on the size of the Pterygium itself. If it's just a small growth, your Optometrist/Ophthalmologist can advise the patient on lubricants (eye drops or gels) to temporary reduce symptoms like redness, swelling, itchy or gritty felling.
If the Pterygium is more advanced, the only option is then surgery.
How to avoid it
As previously said, UV radiation and exposure seems to be one of the main reason leading to Pterygium. For that you have the perfect solution that is available for everyone - sunglasses . A good pair of sunglasses will filter the UV rays, giving you a sharper vision but also protecting you from conditions like Pterygium, Cataracts, Glaucoma, etc. Make sure to buy your sunglasses from a Optician instead of a shop non-related to eye care. A good pair of sunglasses should have UVA, UVB and UVC protection, and usually those shops will only have one of those protections - or even none.
We remind you that if you have any of these symptoms or any other, if you need to book an appointment or if you have any queries, please contact us over phone or email. We will be very happy to help you.
Keep in mind: At Care Optics - Eye Care, We Care
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