Bright Eyes

Four tips to prevent vision loss

- Allison Baker

Get Eye Exams

The eyes may be a window to the soul, but they can also be a window to our vascular health. "It's one of the few places where you can look inside the body," explains Colin Mann, an ophthalmologist in Bridgewater, N.S.

For instance, since a branch of the carotid artery travels from the heart up each side of the neck and to the eyes, an optometrist can examine the blood vessels in the back of the eye to detect conditions that might not have manifested symptomatically. Narrow blood vessels in the retina could indicate high blood pressure; swelling of those same vessels might be a sign of diabetes. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to diabetic retinopathy, a condition in which high blood sugar levels damage blood vessels, eventually resulting in vision loss or blindness. As well as maintaining healthy blood glucose levels, Mann emphasizes that getting regular eye exams-at least every two years is the best form of prevention.

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