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Medical Forum / General / Vision / July 2006question about eye exams and what the doctor sees
when i went to the opthamologist to have an eye exam, he did the whole thing of corse, i guess looking at my whatever. anyway, when he was done he said i'm ok with this and that, no diabetic prob etc etc....but what caught my ear was that he said my blood pressure was ok. now THIS is important to me because i take medication for high bp. my question is, does the eye doc see something in his exam that is more accurate than my doc taking a blood pressure reading? > when i went to the opthamologist to have an eye exam, he did the whole > thing of corse, i guess looking at my whatever. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > my question is, does the eye doc see something in his exam that is more > accurate than my doc taking a blood pressure reading? See this article: http://www.opt.indiana.edu/clinics/pt_educ/iexam/main.htm Eye docs often take your blood pressure the same way as in your GP's office. Looking in the eye is not "more accurate," it simply can show signs of hypertension. > Eye docs often take your blood pressure the same way as in your GP's > office. Looking in the eye is not "more accurate," it simply can show > signs of hypertension. And what might these "signs" consist of? Don W. >when i went to the opthamologist to have an eye exam, he did the whole >thing of corse, i guess looking at my whatever. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >my question is, does the eye doc see something in his exam that is more >accurate than my doc taking a blood pressure reading? By examining your eyes, in particular examining the choroidal and retinal vasculature, a doctor may be able to detect *chronic* changes from hypertension that your internist may not suspect are occuring. One blood pressure reading is a "snapshot" in time. Examination of the ocular fundus vasculature is more of a picture of long-term control and can demonstrate the long-term changes from hypertension. Maybe a good analogy would be a solitary blood glucose reading versus a hemoglobin A1C measurement in diabetes. i have read the hyperT can affect some organ function etc, like kidney and liver, and i have noticed that many nephrologists also specialize in hypertension. in respect to hyperT's effect on other functions and a doctor's ability to note "chronic changes", does an eye exam gauge potential side effects of hyperT better than a BP exam? and how can this kind of eye exam be taken? ,,,,,,,,,,,,, > and how can this kind of eye exam be taken? i meant "how OFTEN should this eye exam be taken" i guess what all my questioning is leading to is,,,,if my primary says i have moderate high bp, and that's that,,, so take your medicine...can an eye doc say "well wait a minute, he may have high bp but my exams show everything is under control as it is." ? my bp is actually ok at home but my doc says it's too high for home bp(anywhere from 14x/100 when i'm moving about the house, to 13x/90 when i'm laying around, to high 120's low 130's over low 80's when i'm relaxing watching tv). > i guess what all my questioning is leading to is,,,,if my primary says > i have moderate high bp, and that's that,,, so take your medicine...can [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > when i'm laying around, to high 120's low 130's over low 80's when i'm > relaxing watching tv). What your eye doc should have said is that there are no signs of hypertensive retinopathy. Without actually measuring your blood pressure, there is no way of knowing if it is high or not. Even if he measured it, you were taking meds to control it, so he should have found it normal. The eye signs of high blood pressure don't show up until the BP has been moderately high for a long time or have are dangerously high (200/150 or so). Your eye doc can tell if you have eye damage consistent with high blood pressure and should then recommend that you see your family doc for assessment. But he can't tell, from your eyes only, if the BP is slightly elevated. And even if the BP is dangerously elevated, if it has not yet caused eye damage then your eye doc will still say the eye has no signs of hypertension. can high bp cause a temporary and inexplicable vision problem? about 5 months ago a double vision problem just happened in my right eye that lasted for 1.5 months. the eye doc said the problem eye was not syncing with the good one and was stress related and it happens all the time. i do have stress. this thing just happened,,,like literally, as i was walking down the street. > > i guess what all my questioning is leading to is,,,,if my primary says > > i [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > dangerously elevated, if it has not yet caused eye damage then your eye > doc will still say the eye has no signs of hypertension. |
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