Definition
In case of a circulatory disorder of the eye – usually of the retina or the optic nerve, the patient’s vision decreases rapidly without pain. It is important to react immediately, as the nerve cells in the eye can only survive for about an hour if the vessel is completely blocked.
Cause
The main causes of circulatory disorders of the eye are high blood pressure and diabetes, which are very common diseases in industrialized countries and are often triggered by obesity (adiposity), incorrect high-fat nutrition and lack of exercise. High blood pressure is very treacherous, as many people affected do not even realize that they suffer from high blood pressure and that this can damage the cardiovascular system unnoticed for so many years. Over time, the vessels become stiffer and stiffer and become increasingly thicker as much more blood is pumped through them and gradually the blood vessels narrow, sometimes to the point of complete blockage.
These vascular changes are summarized under the term atherosclerosis. If the blood vessels constrict or even become completely blocked, the organ to be supplied, such as the eyes, for example, can no longer be supplied with sufficient blood or even with blood at all. High blood pressure significantly increases the risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack.
In addition to the blood vessels, the heart is also affected. Due to the increased pumping, the wall of the left ventricle thickens and becomes increasingly rigid. There are two different forms of diabetes mellitus, but too little insulin is produced overall, so that the blood sugar level increases.
Diabetes mellitus type 1 is usually referred to as congenital type. In most cases, the disease starts in childhood or adolescence and is immunologically caused. This means that the body’s own defensive substances are directed against the cells that produce insulin.
The pancreas can then no longer produce insulin. In diabetes mellitus type 2, the body develops resistance to insulin, which results from the fact that the body has been producing large quantities of insulin for years. The more sugar there is in the blood, the more insulin is needed and at some point the cells can no longer produce enough or are exhausted.
Type 2 diabetes is also known as adult-onset diabetes, which is mainly caused by overweight, lack of exercise, wrong and fatty as well as sugary diet. Unfortunately, more and more children and adolescents are suffering from these symptoms and have the wrong lifestyle, so that it is no longer possible to speak of adult-onset diabetes alone. But there is also the possibility of gestational diabetes, which can occur during pregnancy in the mother.
It is hormonal and causes insensitivity to insulin in the body. Once the pregnancy is over, the sugar levels return to normal. Another cause is hypercholesterolemia, which is also usually caused by a wrong lifestyle such as a high-fat diet and too little exercise.
However, there is also the possibility that high cholesterol levels are passed on. Amaurosis fugax temporarily leads to a complete darkening of the affected eye. The reason is a circulatory disorder in the arteries of the retina. Although the symptoms are only temporary, they should be interpreted as a serious warning of serious disease. For example, the cause may be in the carotid artery, which means that not only the eye but also areas of the brain are affected by the reduced blood circulation.
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