"The eyes have it..!" 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Monday)

Judith Whitehead is back guest-blogging on this awesome Inspirational Monday about one of the many ways that "These times they are a changin!" Judy lives in Amherst N.Y. and has worked in the medical profession for over 30 years.

"The Eyes have it..!"

Maybe you have heard the expression, ”the eyes are the window to your soul”. Actually, that is not far from the truth because going for an eye exam can prove to be very informative when your health is at stake. The eyes are the only body part where someone can view the bodys’ health without being invasive.
The eyes can give a snapshot into what is happening with the bodys’ circulation and health. Starting at the front of the eyes is the cornea. The cornea is the clear window to the front of the eye. When someone has high cholesterol, there is sometimes a faint white ring on the cornea which can indicate that fact. An Eye Doctor can easily see that during an eye exam by using what is called a Slit Lamp at the beginning of your eye evaluation. Maybe you have an eyelid that has suddenly started to droop. It’s not always birthday candles that make our eye lids become heavy, especially if it is only one eyelid. This can be an indication that there is a more serious problem such as a neurologic finding; IE stroke, palsey, brain event etc. With the eyes dilated so that the pupil becomes paralyzed and stays open, the Doctor can view the back of the eye which is the retina. He can see a small window of the the circulation in the arteries and veins that give him an idea what is going on with the rest of the body. Sometimes a piece of plaque or cholesterol can be viewed which can indicate a larger problem in the body. If the patient has high blood pressure, there may be a hemorrhage in one of those vessels. If the patient is diabetic and the blood sugar is not controlled, there will be damage in the back of the eye. If the retina looks damaged, then you can only imagine what the rest of the body looks like. Poor circulation can be viewed in the eye which is also an alarm. If the blood vessels are cracked and bleeding there may very well be a problem in the rest of the body.
The optic nerve can tell a story on its own. Swollen nerves can indicate pressure building up in the spinal fluid. Not to mention that the size alone of the optic nerve will put you at risk for developing glaucoma if it is enlarged.
It takes just a small amount of time to have your eyes checked; it’s an investment of time and money that could save your life.
Everyone that is healthy should have an eye exam every 1-2 years; young children should have an eye evaluation before they start school to detect any problems such as amblyopia or lazy eye that needs treatment if detected immediately. A lazy eye that goes untreated will stop working after a few years and the brain will “turn off” the vision in that eye. The child will be destined to have poor vision for the rest of their life if not treated.

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