Philip Walsh - What Do My Eyes Tell Me About My Health?

There’s often more than meets the eye when it comes to diagnosing health issues and in some cases, an eye test will diagnose underlying health issues. It is always recommended you see your optometrist or GP if you have any unusual symptoms, but here are a few cases where your eyes could be reflecting another condition.

A blood-shot eye could mean you have an eye trauma or high blood pressure. The transparent outer layer of the eye is nourished by many tiny blood vessels, if these explode, these will leave blood in the white of the eye. A change in eye colour could be from bleeding or a foreign object in the eye, as it is a warning sign of inflammation or neurofibromatosis.

Abnormal pupils can indicate potential risk of stroke, brain or optic nerve tumour, brain aneurysm or multiple sclerosis. Pupils are normally symmetrical and stay the same size, reaction to light is usually similar too, and if you notice any drastic changes, your pupils should be assessed right away.

Yellow colouration in the white of the eye can be a symptom of cirrhosis of the liver, sun damage, fatty diets and hepatitis. The yellow is caused by a build up of bilirubin which is a yellow coloured pigment that is produced when red blood cells are broken down.

If you have any concerns about your eye health, talk to your local Specsavers optometrist or visit www.specsavers.co.nz.