- Macular edema (swelling of the region of macula):
Macula is the central region of the retina and is important for
seeing fine details. A swelling in this region leads to a decrease
in vision. This condition can be treated by doing laser therapy.
- Vitreous hemorrhage: Sometimes the BRVO may
lead to formation of new vessels in the retina. These vessels are
abnormal and are very fragile. These may bleed and may cause
vitreous hemorrhage and thus loss of vision. A timely detection of
these new vessels can be treated by doing laser therapy and thus
causing these new vessels to disappear.
Macroaneurysm: This is an uncommon manifestation
of hypertension. Untreated, this may cause bleeding into vitreous and
thus loss of vision. This condition can be treated by laser therapy.
Why is eye checkup important if one has
hypertension?
Eye is the only organ of the body where one can observe the blood
vessels directly. Seeing the retina by using ophthalmoscope, we can see
the blood vessels. Thus examination of the eyes help the physician or
ophthalmologist to observe the changes in blood vessels because of
hypertension. This gives an idea about the severity of the disease
elsewhere in the body.
Moreover, presence of swelling of the disc (grade 4 hypertensive
retinopathy) is an indicator of a very severe, life threatening rise in
blood pressure, which warrants emergency treatment to control the blood
pressure.
If the patient has both hypertension and
diabetes, can both these diseases affect his/her eyes?
Yes. The patient can have changes of both
diabetic retinopathy as well as
hypertensive retinopathy. In fact, presence of hypertension may lead to
exacerbation of the changes due to diabetic retinopathy. Therefore it is
important to control the blood pressure in a patient with diabetic
retinopathy.
