Heart disease can cause symptoms in different organs. The health of your heart is reflected in your eyes. Heart diseases can cause some problems in the eyes.

Every year, 17 million people in the world lose their lives due to heart disease. Regular health screenings ensure that heart diseases that progress silently without any symptoms are recognized at an early stage and successful treatment methods are applied. Heart disease is a term that covers any disorder that occurs in the heart and affects the heart. Heart disease includes blood vessel diseases such as coronary artery disease, heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias) and congenital heart defects. The term heart disease is often used interchangeably with the term cardiovascular disease.

Experts say that ophthalmologists can detect signs of heart disease during a comprehensive eye examination. A new study reveals that the retinas of people with heart disease show signs of eye strokes. Eye strokes cause cells to die when the eye is deprived of blood flow and oxygen. This creates a scar called a retinal ischemic perivascular lesion. These signs can be detected when ophthalmologists use an imaging tool called optical coherence tomography, or OCT, to look closely at the retina. OCT scans of the retina are a valuable way to detect diseases and dysfunctions not just in the eyes, but throughout the body, says Joseph Nezgoda, an ophthalmologist and Academy spokesperson and retina specialist. Eye scans can detect signs of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other underlying health conditions.

How eye exams detect heart disease

The eye is the only place in the body where a doctor can see the live movement of blood vessels, nerves and connecting tissues without the need for an invasive procedure. This is why ophthalmologists are often the first to detect health problems including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, strokes and more. While the scars left behind by eye strokes may be present in small numbers in healthy people, they are much more numerous in those with heart disease. The researchers reached these conclusions by analyzing the medical records of 84 people with heart disease and 76 healthy people, all of whom had retinal OCT scans.

Diagnosing heart disease early can save lives

The new study adds to the list of health conditions that an eye exam can help detect. “Your ophthalmologist can take an image of your eye to help detect cardiovascular diseases earlier,” says Nezgoda. For people with heart disease, the number one cause of death worldwide, early detection and treatment can help prevent a heart attack or stroke. In the future, ophthalmologists may be able to refer their patients to a cardiologist if they notice eye strokes on an OCT scan, especially if the patient has not had a comprehensive health check-up or has no family history of heart disease.

November 2024