What diseases can be detected in an eye exam?

Sure, the eye is the window to the soul. But it's far more than that. Did you know that your eyes are also the window to your overall health? Your eye care professional can tell whether you need glasses or contacts — and they can also detect warning signs of diseases ranging from glaucoma or diabetes to various inflammatory diseases or even sexually transmitted diseases and brain tumors.

If you're now wondering when was the last time you had a comprehensive eye exam, keep reading. You'll find out just how important that appointment can be.

Common diseases detected in eye exams

So, what diseases can be detected in an eye exam? It may not be a surprise that an online vision exam can detect diseases of the eye, such as glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration. But here's a surprise: That same exam can catch signs of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. It can even warn you of diseases such as diabetes, Lyme disease, or sickle-cell anemia. Take a look at some of the most common diseases that can show up during an eye exam.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a disease caused when increased eye pressure causes damage to the optic nerve. It has few early warning signs, so it's very important to be tested for it during your eye exam. Have you ever been asked to look at your eye care professional's ear while a bright blue light comes closer and closer to your eye? (Yes, we admit, it's awkward to stare at someone's ear.) That's actually a tonometry test. Your eye care professional will also look for signs of the disease while they're checking your retina and peripheral vision.

Diabetic retinopathy

Many people discover that they have diabetes through an online vision exam. That's because diabetes can cause tiny blood vessels in the retina to leak fluid. This disease, called diabetic retinopathy, can lead to blindness, so early detection is key. If your eye care professional spots retinal bleeding or other signs of diabetic retinopathy, you need to see your primary care physician. 

Age-related macular degeneration

As many people get older, their macula starts to degenerate. The macula is the central part of the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue that connects your eye to your central nervous system. When you take those eye drops that dilate your eye (so that you have to wear those oh-so-attractive plastic sunshades), your eye care professional can examine the blood vessels in the retina, searching for blocked blood flow and other abnormalities.

Age-related macular degeneration comes in two forms: wet and dry. Dry macular degeneration progresses slowly, while wet macular degeneration comes on quickly. People with macular degeneration lose their central vision, leaving them with just peripheral vision. Unfortunately, there's no way to reverse this degenerative disease, but eye care professionals can sometimes slow down vision loss.

Cataracts

You might not even notice when blurred vision starts. If you wear glasses from time to time, you might find yourself obsessively cleaning the lenses or blaming your blurry vision on scratches on the glass. But chances are, especially as you grow older, that the blurred vision you're experiencing comes from cataracts. In fact, by the time you turn 80, you stand a 50% chance of having developed cataracts. 

Your eye care professional can spot the signs of cataracts, which are a clouding of the eye's lens, very easily. The good news is that lens replacement surgery can provide you with crystal-clear vision again.

Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of those diseases that sneaks up on you. It typically has no obvious symptoms, but it can result in a heart attack or stroke if it's left untreated. 

It's a good thing, then, that your eye care professional can spot potential signs of high blood pressure during an eye exam. When your eyes are dilated, they can see to the retina, where any unusual twists in the blood vessels or bleeding may indicate high blood pressure, as can double vision. Hypertension is a factor in many eye diseases, notably glaucoma, so it's important for many reasons to get it treated and under control right away.

Comprehensive eye exams: detecting diseases

A comprehensive eye exam covers much more than just getting you a new prescription for your contacts or glasses. All the various elements of the exam, including tests of your eye movement and visual field, give your eye care professional important information about your eye health and overall health. Here are some of the tests you can expect in an eye exam.

Visual acuity testing

You're certainly familiar with the test where you have to read letters off a chart that's often headed by a giant letter E. That's a visual acuity test. It measures how well you can see from a distance and helps your eye care professional determine what kind of vision correction you might need. If you suddenly find the letters fuzzier than in the past, your eye care professional will check for cataracts.

Intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement

Also known as tonometry, this test measures the pressure inside each eye to determine if glaucoma is present. While most tonometry tests press gently against your cornea and flatten it to determine pressure, some eye care professionals start with air-puff tonometry. This measurement sends a puff of air to your cornea to flatten it with no actual contact involved. However, since it's not as accurate, it may be used just to determine whether the more traditional IOP test needs to be done.

Retinal examination

A retinal examination is key to determining the presence of diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. To perform this exam, your eye care professional first dilates your eye to be able to see all the way back to the retina and optic nerve. They then use some specialized tools to examine the retina with its many blood vessels. The ophthalmoscope shines light through your eye and condenses the view. The eye care professional may also use a slit-lamp, which shines light through a special lens to reveal all the details of your retina. Cool, right?

Benefits of regular eye exams

When you get an annual eye exam, you increase the chances that your eye care professional will spot a warning sign of an eye disease or health conditions that you should check out. And of course, your eye exam is where you get the updated prescription you need for new contact lenses or eyeglasses. 

Many eye diseases have no obvious symptoms, such as burst blood vessels, to alert you that something's wrong. Your regular eye exam gives an eye care professional a chance to detect symptoms you might not even be aware of. In some cases, an eye exam can even reveal hints as to the presence of brain tumors and other types of cancer, heart disease, inflammatory diseases, certain sexually transmitted diseases, some genetic blood disorders, and autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.

Eye care professionals know that everyone's eyes are different, and they approach each exam with that awareness. Because they treat you as an individual, they're able to personalize their care for you, including what tests they run and what recommendations they make.

Time to get your eyes examined

Regular eye exams can detect diseases and conditions that often have no obvious symptoms. Your eye health can provide clues to your overall health, and routine checkups can help you stay on top of everything. Once you have your new prescription, find your brand of contacts at 1-800 Contacts.