Importance of Eye Exams
Your eye doctor can help to detect whether you have diabetes.
When an optometrist dilates your eyes prior to an eye exam it makes it easier for her to look at the condition of your retina. She can look for and readily detect early signs of diabetic retinopathy that indicate that you have diabetes. Such signs include leaking blood vessels in the retina, swelling of the retina and deposits on the retina. The retina is the only part of the body where blood vessels can be observed without looking through the skin. This window into the state of your heath is a wonderful early detection system.
Source: Dr. Randy Steele, Journal Enterprise, Kentucky
Corneal Confocal Microscopy
For people who have diabetes, an eye exam may not only reveal signs that the patient has the eye condition diabetic retinopathy. A doctor may also be able to tell if someone has diabetic neuropathy in other parts of the body.
Research demonstrates that a corneal confocal microscope (a special microscope that produces imaging of the living cornea, rather than looking at samples of tissue taken from the patient) that can look at the shape and condition and functioning capacity of the nerve fibers in the cornea. This tool can help doctors determine whether a patient has diabetic neuropathy and if so, how serious it is.
Source: Virtual Medical Centre
Eye Health: Overall Health
The eyes are the windows not only of the soul, but of the body as well. The health of your eyes reflects the health of your whole being.
Others in the medical community agree with us. At the 25th Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress Tien Yin Wong, MD gave a lecture titled: “An Eye Examination Can Save Your Life!” He discussed the way that changes in the blood vessels of the retina can indicate potential problems in the cardiovascular and metabolic systems.
An eye doctor who is considering your overall health can potentially see signs of stroke, heart disease, or diabetes, hypertension, or kidney disease during your exam.