Because your eyes are so critical to your overall health, getting a regular eye exam is important to your health routine. Although you may not realize it, your eyes can also give indications about the state of your overall health, which makes your yearly eye exam even more crucial. Your Phoenix optometrist will look for the following signs during your eye exam.
Eye Exams and Your Overall Health
Discomfort while using the computer—If your eyes become tired, irritated, or feel as if they are burning while you are using the computer, this is a sign that you may be suffering from eye strain, which can cause headaches and can dry out your skin and eyes. To solve this problem, you can reduce glare by closing window shades or look into an antireflective cover for your computer.
Red spots in the whites of your eyes—These small red spots may seem like no big deal, but they may be signs of diabetes. If your blood sugar is too high, blood vessels will swell and cause these tiny red spots.
Itchy, swollen eyes may indicate that you have allergies—If any pollen, dust, or pet dander gets into your eyes, you may react to it. During your eye exam, your optometrist may recommend eye drops or some sort of an allergy medication, depending on the severity of your allergies.
White rings around your eyes—Yellowish bumps on your eyelids and/or white rings around your eyes may be signs that you have high cholesterol. If this is the case, your optometrist may send you to another doctor to have this situation examined further.
Your eye health and your overall health are closely related, and some signs of a problem may show up first in your eyes. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that you schedule a regular eye exam. To learn more information about how your eyes are connected to your overall health, or to book an appointment at Valley Eyecare Center, visit our website, or call (602) 955-2700.
