Systemic Diseases And The Eye

Various systemic diseases of the eyes

An ocular manifestation of a systemic disease is an eye condition that directly or indirectly results from a disease process in another part of the body. There are many diseases known to cause ocular or visual changes.

Diabetes

Hypertension

Graves Disease

HIV/AIDS

Multiple Sclerosis

Diabetes

Diabetic eye disease can include diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Initial symptoms can include vision fluctuations as blood sugar levels fluctuate, change in prescription in your spectacles (myopic shift).

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by changes in the retinal blood vessels, causing complications, reduced blood supply, neovascularisation, small haemorrhages, macular edema and large haemorrhages.

Initially no visual symptoms are noticed and for this very reason it is very important to go for a yearly comprehensive eye examination to beable to identify early changes and treat and manage where indicated early.

Treatment includes laser photocoagulation. Progression of diabetic eye disease can cause glaucoma and multiple complications causing highly reduced vision.

Hypertension

Hypertensive retinopathy is the damage to the retina and retinal circulation due to high blood pressure. Symptoms may include decreased vision and headaches. Advanced retinopathy includes ischemic changes and macular edema.

Graves Disease

Graves’s disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, overactive thyroid. Eye involvement is referred to as Graves’ ophthalmopathy. This is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder affecting the orbital area and extra-ocular muscles causing proptosis, edema and conjunctivitis. Treatment includes thyroid hormone level regulation, topical lubrication, corticosteroids and surgery.

HIV/AIDS

HIV causes a breakdown of your body’s immune system, all areas of the body are susceptible to infection, including the eye.

AIDS related eye problems include retinal ischemia causing cotton wool spots, and more seriously CMV retinitis. CMV retinitis is caused by the cytomegalovirus and occurs in the advanced stages of AIDS. Symptoms include inflammation of the retina, bleeding and vision loss.

CMV retinitis cannot be cured but progression of the virus can be slowed down with medication. CMV retinitis can cause retinal detachments. Kaposi’s sarcoma is a rare form of cancer that occurs in AIDS patients. This cancer can cause purple-red tensions to form on the eyelids, or a red fleshy mass to form on the conjunctiva

Multiple Sclerosis

Inflammatory disease that damages nerve coverings, causing weakness, coordination and speech disorders. Eye symptoms may include diplopia(double vision) and nystagmus.

Common Symptoms

We often dismiss common symptoms that we experience on a day to day basis. Migraines, twitching eyelids, tearing eyes and redness are just some of the common things experienced regularly by so many people.

Eye Disorders

The leading causes of blindness and low vision are primarily age-related eye diseases. Cataracts, Glaucoma and Astigmatism are just a few of these disorders that many patients suffer from. Other common eye disorders include amblyopia and strabismus.

Ocular Emergencies

Ocular emergencies can occur at any time. Trauma to the eye such as foreign objects, chemical burns or even retinal detachment can be extremely painful and can be a threat to the long term functioning of the eye.

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