Throbbing headaches, excruciating back pain, unexplained dizzy spells. A cause for these ailments is not always readily apparent. But such unexplained symptoms can indicate visual defects and inflammation of the eye – without the patient noticing this connection. After all, undetected vision problems often cause pain throughout the body. Prescribing the right glasses or treating an eye disease is often the best remedy. Going to the ophthalmologist should therefore be early in the examination chain.
Regular examination of the eyes
Even anyone who feels healthy is advised by ophthalmologists to have regular eye examinations. This is because routine preventive examinations of the back of the eye, blood vessels and intraocular pressure also provide the experienced medical professional with information about hidden diseases of the overall organism, such as an impending heart attack.
The use of indications from the eye is already known from Chinese medicine as well as from Hippocrates and Philostrates. Through changes in the front of the eye, such as lightening, darkened areas, colored spots or conspicuous vascular drawings, it is possible to identify diseases such as inflammation, organ weaknesses, metabolic disorders, as well as their causes and connections.
Possible causes
For example, rheumatism can make nodules and inflammation in the eye; hyperthyroidism can cause protruding eyes (Graves’ eyes). Also, many infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, whooping cough, AIDS, tuberculosis, etc. cause eye inflammation. Whooping cough, for example, is often recognized by bleeding into the eye because of coughing fits.
Eye to eye with pain
At each checkup, the ophthalmologist examines not only the patient’s vision, but also the back of the eye, the blood vessels, and he or she looks for evidence of cataract disease. By inspecting the vessels in the eye, the ophthalmologist can draw conclusions about dangerous changes in the entire cardiovascular system.
It is often the ophthalmologist who is the first to detect an existing diabetes disease or dangerous high blood pressure during an eye examination and can then quickly initiate the right measures.
Uncorrected visual defects or incorrectly calculated visual aids also often lead to severe headaches – in school children during lessons, and in adults during prolonged screen work.
The professional association of ophthalmologists therefore advises everyone to have an annual preventive eye examination so that serious diseases of the eyes and the organism as a whole can be detected and treated in good time.
