How hypertension and diabetes destroy vision and what symptoms can not be ignored, said the ophthalmologist

Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are considered the main enemies of the circulatory system, but few people know that the eyes are the first to suffer from these systemic failures. More about this told the Russian ophthalmologist Anna Shipunova, writes sb.by.

The retina of the eye is a blood supply tissue that requires a huge amount of energy to constantly process light pulses. That is why it is permeated with a dense network of the smallest blood vessels - arterioles and capillaries.

“The ophthalmologist during a routine examination can look inside the eye and be the first to suspect a patient of diabetes or hypertension by characteristic changes in retinal vessels,” explained Anna Shipunova.

The doctor also added: if the patient notices the problem in time and normalizes blood sugar levels, in the early stages the pathological process is reversible - the elasticity of the vessels is restored, and their curvature decreases. However, in the later stages, the changes become irreversible, leading to dangerous hemorrhages and retinal swelling, which dramatically impair vision.

Special attention was paid to the issue of intraocular pressure. The eyeball maintains its shape due to the constant circulation of intraocular fluid, which in composition resembles blood plasma. Normally, the volume of fluid inflow and outflow is strictly balanced.

The main problem with high intraocular pressure is that very often the patient feels nothing. Only with critical jumps, severe headaches appear, the ophthalmologist noted. Due to the absence of early symptoms, a person often turns to specialists too late, when it is no longer possible to return vision lost due to glaucoma.

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