What Your Eyes Reveal About Health

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As an ophthalmologist, David Ingvoldstad sees much more about his patients' health than just their eyes. Thanks to the clues the eyes provide, he regularly alerts patients to possible autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, monitors progression of their diabetes and once even suspected—correctly, as it turned out—that a patient had a brain tumor on the basis of the pattern of her vision changes.

Because the body's systems are interconnected, changes in the eye can reflect those in the vascular, nervous and immune system, among others. And because the eyes are see-through in a way other organs aren't, they offer a unique glimpse into the body. Blood vessels, nerves and tissue can all be viewed directly through the eye with specialized equipment.

With regular monitoring, eye doctors can be the first to spot certain medical conditions and can usher patients for further evaluation, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment. Clots in the tiny blood vessels of the retina can signal a risk for stroke, for example, and thickened blood-vessel walls along with narrowing of the vessels can signal high blood pressure. In some cases, examining the eye can help confirm some of the diagnoses or help differentiate disorders from each other.