There are a number of high blood pressure symptoms that you may be able to spot in your eyes.
High blood pressure – or hypertension – is a serious condition that can result in a number of health complications including heart disease and an increased risk of stroke.
If levels become dangerously high, a possible complication is hypertensive retinopathy.
This is a complication in your eyes that can impact the blood vessels in your retina – the layer of tissue at the back part of the eye responsible for receiving the images we need to see.
The vessels can become damaged if high blood pressure is left untreated with a various warning signs linked to the condition.
Experiencing any of the following eye-related symptoms it can be a real cause for concern, reports The Express.
(Image: Getty)
These symptoms include double or dim vision as well as a loss of vision and headaches.
A study published in the National Library of Health looked at hypertensive retinopathy’s effect on eye health.
“Poorly controlled hypertension affects several systems such as the cardiovascular, renal, cerebrovascular, and retina,” noted the study.
It added: “The damage to these systems is known as target-organ damage.
“Poorly controlled hypertension affects the eye causing three types of ocular damage including choroidopathy, retinopathy, and optic neuropathy.”
Choroidopathy is a disease that causes fluid to build up under the retina.
This is the back part of the inner eye that sends sight information to the brain.
The fluid leaks from the blood vessel layer under the retina.
Symptoms of choroidopathy include dim and blurred blind spots in the centre of vision, distortion of straight lines with the affected eye, or objects appearing smaller or farther away with the affected eye.
Retinopathy means disease of the retina.
“There are several types of retinopathy but all involve disease of the small retinal blood vessels,” noted Jama Network.
The study added: “Signs of retinopathy can be seen when the retina is viewed through the pupil with an ophthalmoscope.”
Optic neuropathy is a catch-all term that refers to damage inflicted on the optic nerve in your eye.
This is the nerve in the back of the eyeball that transfers visual information from your eye to the brain, allowing you to see.
This condition is one that gets worse over time, when not treated.
Symptoms of optic neuropathy include seeing flashing or flickering lights when moving the eyes, colours which may appear less bold or vivid than they normally do, loss of vision or pain in the face and eye socket.
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