Routine eye examinations can uncover hidden health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and glaucoma, according to an optician who stresses the importance of regular checks.
Marios Antoniades, Dispensing Optician and Director of Quality Eyes, explained that when an optometrist looks through the pupil, they can discover far more than whether you need new lenses. He said: "All the tiny vessels, the optic nerve and the tissues at the back of the eye can be seen through the pupil. So, a routine eye examination can allow us to spot changes that you may not feel or notice yourself."
Conditions an Eye Test Can Reveal
Diabetes can show up in the eyes through tiny leaks or bleeds from the retina's small blood vessels, or swelling around the macula. With treatment, diabetic retinopathy can be managed or even avoided completely, but if left untreated, it can lead to loss of vision.
An optometrist cannot diagnose high blood pressure from an eye examination alone, but they can detect symptoms that make it worth a visit to your GP. The retinal arteries might look narrowed or kinked, and at points where an artery crosses a vein, the vessels can appear to pinch or compress each other. That is usually a sign of hypertensive retinopathy, not something to panic about, but worth getting checked.
Other Signs and Glaucoma Risk
High cholesterol can be indicated by a pale ring around the coloured part of the eye (corneal arcus), yellowish patches around the eyelids (xanthelasma), and retinal vein blockages, especially if found in younger people. A full diagnosis requires a GP, but high cholesterol is easily treated if picked up early.
Raised pressure inside the skull can cause papilloedema, a swelling of the optic disc, which usually requires an urgent referral. It is uncommon but important to catch. Glaucoma, a group of conditions that damage the optic nerve, can only be detected through an eye test. An optometrist can examine the nerve, measure pressure inside the eye, and test the visual field, possibly using an OCT scan.
Antoniades added: "The risk of glaucoma is probably the main reason I wouldn't ever delay a routine eye test. By the time you notice a problem with your side vision, there may already have been damage. The aim of an eye test is to find changes early, when there is something we can do about them."
What You Need to Do
It is recommended that everyone has their eyes tested at least every two years, more often if the optometrist advises it. While eye test prices range from about £25 to £50, they are free for everyone aged 60 and over, as well as for people with certain medical conditions (including diabetes and glaucoma) and people in receipt of certain benefits.
Even if you wear contact lenses and routinely reorder them online because your vision seems fine, it is still worth getting your eyes tested, because eye health is hard to track. An eye test is not just about whether your glasses still work; it is an opportunity to check the eyes themselves and sometimes to spot something you had no reason to know was there.
