If you have high blood pressure or hypertension, you are at risk for developing problems with your eyesight. Hypertension can affect your eyesight by causing damage to the blood vessels in the retina. So what are they eye symptoms of blood pressure? Here you will find a review of how hypertension can affect your eyes.
What Is Hypertension?
Hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, is a condition where the blood circulates through the arteries with too much force. When you blood pressure remains high at a level greater than 140/90mmHg, then you are said to have high blood pressure.
Why Is Hypertension Dangerous?
In essence, hypertension causes the heart to work too hard. Additionally, it hardens the walls of arteries. When the inner lining of the arteries become thick and hard, you then have arteriosclerosis. When fats from your diet pass through the damaged cells, they collect and form what is known as atherosclerosis. These events effect arteries throughout your body by blocking blood flow to vital organs including the heart, kidneys, arms, legs and very importantly, your brain.
How Does High Blood Pressure Affect The Eyes?
When continued over time, hypertension can damage the vessels that supply blood to your retina. If the damage becomes severe enough, the blood vessels show wear and tear by leaking or becoming blocked. This can lead to swelling of the optic nerve, bleeding in the eye, microaneurysms, blurred vision or total loss of vision. Eye blood vessel damage is otherwise known as retinopathy.
What Are The Symptoms of Retinopathy?
Unfortunately, by the time you notice symptoms, significant damage may have already occurred. Some symptoms and complications of retinopathy include:
- Floaters in your vision
- Blurred vision, including difficulty reading
- Eye pain
- Partial loss of vision (or a shadow or veil across your field of vision)
How Can I Prevent Hypertension?
The best way to prevent high blood pressure is to adopt a healthy lifestyle. You should always check with your doctor first, as you might need to take medication initially to lower your blood pressure. There is a lot you can do however outside of medication. To become fit, you need to maintain a healthy weight as measured by body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and a waistline measurement. In addition, you should become physically active. This includes 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days per week, if not every day.
For those with borderline hypertension or anyone with existing high blood pressure, it's particularly important to watch your salt and sodium intake. Consider quitting smoking and limit your intake of alcohol as well.
There are many great diet programs to choose from, so select one that includes balanced meals, portion control, exercise and adequate water intake. Stick to one that you feel comfortable with because the easier it is to incorporate into your lifestyle, the higher your chances of succeeding. Be proactive and bring fitness into focus in order to live a healthier, more rewarding and productive life!
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