Can you tell if I have diabetes or high blood pressure by looking at my eyes?
AUG 18, 2014
Question:
Can you tell if I have diabetes or high blood pressure by looking at my eyes?
Answer:
Yes. A dilated exam can help with diagnosis of diabetes (when the body doesn’t process sugar correctly) or high blood pressure (or hypertension, when excessive force of blood flow can harm the blood vessels) based on the appearance of the retina and its blood vessels. If a patient has early diabetes and early hypertension, the retina findings may not be present, but with moderate or advanced cases, hemorrhages (bleeding) of the retina may be present, referred to as retinopathy.