A heart attack, which happens due to prolonged issues with your cardiovascular system, is the number one cause of death across the world.
According to experts, a cardiovascular disease can lead to a variety of symptoms, which include chest pain or pressure, exhaustion and shortness of breath, as well as high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. However, did you know that the heart and blood vessels may also have an impact on your eyes?
Doctors say that in a few circumstances, an eye exam can detect the early indicators of dreaded heart diseases like a heart attack before other methods. And this is why it is critical to have both your eye and heart health evaluated.
Factors contributing to deteriorating eye health due to heart disease
According to a new study, those who have heart attacks also experience vision problems – not necessarily caused directly by the ailment itself, but linked through shared vascular health issues. Scientists say poor blood flow, inflammation, and damaged blood vessels impact your retina – causing blurred vision, vision loss, or even more eye conditions that are related to heart disease.
Emerging evidence shows that vision impairment in heart attack patients is common and is associated with worse health outcomes, underscoring the importance of eye health in cardiovascular care.
Hypertension
High blood pressure can damage your artery lining due to dietary fats that circulate in the bloodstream. These damaged arteries lose their flexibility, resulting in low blood pressure and increasing the risk of eye and heart illness.
High cholesterol
Cholesterol in the eyes leads to blockage of the blood vessels that supply nutrition to the retina.
Diabetes
If you have diabetes, the condition can increase the risk of both heart disease and eye issues.
Experts opine that specific eye diseases – like a form of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD – are strongly linked to underlying heart and vascular problems and can eventually lead to permanent blindness or vision loss.
Eye issues linked to heart disease
- Retinal artery occlusions, which happen due to an arterial blockage
- Retinal vein occlusions are a kind of eye stroke that occurs as a result of high blood pressure.
- Amaurosis fugax is a temporary loss of vision in one or both eyes that can last from seconds to 30 minutes or longer.
- Hypertensive optic neuropathy happens due to damage to the nerve fibres, which stops the blood supply.
- Occipital lobe strokes happen due to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and diabetes.
How to manage your vision and heart health?
If you are battling a heart issue or recovering from a heart attack, experts suggest continuously monitoring your vision health to prevent further complications. Apart from that, you must also: These easy-to-implement lifestyle adjustments can reduce your risk of eye and heart disease:
- Stop smoking
- Exercise and work out regularly
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet.
- Keep your weight under control.
- Have an unregulated eight to nine hours of sleep daily
- Reduce your stress levels.
- Schedule a screening with your doctor regularly.