12 Things Your Eyes Can Reveal About Your Health

Written by Rachana C  • 

Eyes are one of those beauty elements that we all love to consider as an aesthetic asset. They express, they sense, and they speak. Beyond this, from a medical perspective, they not only offer vision but are also means to detect simple to grave ailments in your body. Don’t you remember your doc examining your eyes with his pocket torch even when you had gone in with a simple complaint of fever? He would have just needed a thermometer or quite simply his palm to know that you have a fever, right? Wrong. Doctors examine the eyes to rule out any medical abnormalities. It is one of the best ways to diagnose any hidden internal issues.

Read on to know what your eye problems are trying to indicate about your health.

 1.Red Eyes

Image: Shutterstock

Redness is an eye problem most of us, at some point or the other, have experienced. It could be because of something as simple as insufficient sleep and tiredness. However, eye reddening also occurs because of grave medical issues like glaucoma and infections like conjunctivitis. Allergies or entry of a foreign particle can also cause redness in the eye. If the redness persists, do not delay in going to the ophthalmologist.

 2. Brown Ring In The Peripheries Of Cornea

This condition doesn’t, in any way, cause vision abnormalities. However, the opaque ring or arc around the cornea suggests unusually high lipid levels in the body. The ring is formed due to the accumulation and deposition of lipids around the eye. It is quite prevalent in old age, but if a young person is diagnosed with this Corneal Arcus, then they better get their lipid profiles tested. If lipids in blood are tooo high, they might even have to undergo an aggressive lipid therapy (1).

 3. Clouding Of The Eye Lens

Image: Shutterstock

The cloudy appearance of the eye indicates cataract, which is again very rampant after the age of 60. People with this kind of lens might find it difficult to see things clearly, identify colors accurately, and drive in the night or when it is dark (2). A cataract occurs primarily because there is an opaque proteinaceous layer partially obstructing the light from entering the lens. It can be treated with a minor medical procedure. It is advised to go for regular eye check-ups if there is a history of cataract or other eye-related problems in your family. Diabetes, prolonged exposure to sun rays, and smoking increase the risk of cataracts.

 4. White Spot On The Cornea

A white spot on your eye could mean there is an inflammation in the eyeball’s middle layer, causing uveitis. Also, ulcers on the cornea can make this white spot appear on the eye. When eyes get excessively dry or there is an open cut-like injury on the cornea, it results in this cloudy white spot. If you find one such thing on your eye, visit the doctor immediately instead of making your own analysis about the diagnosis.

 5. Lack Of Moisture In Eyes

Image: Shutterstock

We blink approximately 28,800 times a day, and this movement is sufficiently lubricated by the liquid secreted by our tear glands. If, for some reason, the function of tear glands is hindered, we experience dryness in our eyes. When the eyes are dry, they give us a feeling that there’s something in there. It also makes the eyes very sensitive to glare and makes your vision foggy. This can be very easily treated with artificial tears, over-the-counter eye drops, and ointments.

 6. Twisted Blood Capillaries

Although not very apparent to us, doctors and people with medical knowledge can easily identify if there are any twists in the blood capillaries and dents in the vessels. These indicate that the blood pressure is way too high. Such twists and dents can actually be signals of an impending stroke.

 7. Yellow Spots

A yellow bump on the surface of the eye is the result of overexposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Also, when you expose the eye to severely dry and windy conditions, you develop this spot called pinguecula. Pin-gwek-yoo-lah, if you were wondering how to pronounce that! This bump obstructs the tear film from lubricating the eye uniformly, which is what makes you develop dryness, and as a consequence, you experience a burning sensation and blurred vision. Your ophthalmologist might prescribe you some eye drops or scleroid lenses to treat the problem. However, make sure you wear a good wraparound kind of shades to protect your eyes from the unfiltered rays of the sun as a preventive measure.

8. Teary Eyes

Image: Shutterstock

Tears are secreted by the tear glands (lacrimal glands) during situations like experiencing strong emotions, dryness caused by windy climate or to wash a foreign particle out of the eye. They are also secreted during activities like yawning and laughing. However, overproduction of these tears, while there are no circumstances triggering it, is something to be concerned about. These involuntary tears happen when the tear ducts overproduce tears or when they are improperly drained, and also when the nerves of the facial muscles get paralyzed. As a precaution, avoid watching TV or looking at your phone or computer screens for prolonged hours. This causes dryness, and the glands tend to produce more tears than necessary to combat the dryness.

9. Droopy Lids

With aging comes a bunch of eye-related problems, ptosis (sagging of the eyelid) being one of them. Droopy eyelids make you look sleepy all the time. The inability of the eye muscles to support the opening of the eye causes this issue. Apart from the fact that this wreaks your aesthetic quotient, it also becomes a gateway for further complications like astigmatism and other eye problems. Although there are fillers that can be injected to boost the sagging skin, there are some eye exercises that you can do on a regular basis to correct the sag.

10. Yellow Whites

If the whites of your eyes are of a yellow tint, it is because of accumulation of a waste product called bilirubin, which is produced by the liver. If you experience anything like this, it indicates malfunctioning of the liver, which needs immediate medical supervision. Also, in severe cases such as pancreatic cancer, there is yellowing of the eye. If you experience other serious symptoms along with the yellow whites, do not delay in consulting a doctor.

11. Protruding Eyes

In some cases, the eyes become so prominent that they start appearing unusually bulged and protruding. This condition is medically called exophthalmos, where the white between the iris (the colored part of our eye) and the upper eyelid is visible. The cause of this problem could be because of many reasons, hyperthyroidism being one of them (3).

12. Swollen Eyelids

Image: Shutterstock

When there’s no uninterrupted sleep the previous night or if you have been working too much of late, it is quite common for you to experience swollen eyes. This happens because there is an accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the eyelids, which make them swell. Also, there could be an inflammation followed by redness and pain in the eye. This could also occur after an eye injury or as a result of an eye infection. Allergies are considered to be one of the many reasons for swollen eyes.

After suffering for more than 30 years from chronic involuntary tearing, my father got them treated with a minor one-day surgical procedure, and the tears have now disappeared. Don’t delay in consulting your ophthalmologist even if the symptoms are minor, for, you might be putting yourself at risk of something more serious than just minor issues. Are you dealing with any of the above problems? Comment below and let us know.

Was this article helpful?
thumbsupthumbsdown
The following two tabs change content below.

Latest Articles