Ways High Blood Pressure Can Affect Your Eye Health

Hypertension or high blood pressure causes the heart to work harder to supply blood to your body. It can cause a range of serious health issues including stroke, kidney problems and other heart issues. Various factors can increase the risk of this health condition, such as smoking, stress, genetics, excessive salt intake and obesity. People who consume too much alcohol and older individuals are more likely to suffer from hypertension. 

Another part of your body that high blood pressure can harm is your eyes. A specialist from a local eye clinic explains the possible risks of hypertension to your eye health.

What Causes Hypertension?

Hypertension has been correlated to certain risk factors. It usually runs in the blood and is more common in men than women. In the U.S., African-Americans are two times more likely to have high blood pressure than Caucasians. However, the gap between cases tends to narrow around age 44. 

Your diet and lifestyle can also affect your risk of developing hypertension. There is a significant link between excessive salt consumption and high blood pressure. For instance, individuals in the northern part of Japan consume more salt per capita than the rest of the world’s population, and they have the highest rate of essential hypertension. 

If you have high blood pressure, you are likely “salt sensitive,” which means that eating more than the minimum amount of salt your body needs will increase your blood pressure. Your risk of hypertension can increase as well due to stress, diabetes, and obesity. Other contributing factors to this condition are smoking, excessive alcohol intake, lack of physical activity, and extremely low intake of potassium, calcium and magnesium. 

How Can High Blood Pressure Affect Your Eyes?

It Can Lead to Hypertensive Retinopathy

When not treated, high blood pressure will cause more than just heart and kidney problems. It will eventually start affecting your vision and lead to eye disease. Hypertension can cause serious harm to the blood vessels in the retina, the back part of your eye responsible for focusing images. This eye condition is called hypertensive retinopathy and can have serious consequences when left untreated. 

What Are the Common Symptoms?

Mild to moderate cases of hypertensive retinopathy don’t usually cause noticeable symptoms. You may need to see your eye specialist more frequently if you have high blood pressure. Keep in mind, regular eye exams are essential in the early detection and treatment of various eye conditions, including hypertensive retinopathy. Possible signs of this condition include eye swelling, reduced vision, double vision with headaches and bursting of a blood vessel. 

People with severe and accelerated hypertension may experience vision problems and headaches. To determine if you have this condition, your eye doctor will use an ophthalmoscope, a medical instrument that allows them to see the back of the eyeball. Some of the most common signs of hypertensive retinopathy include swelling of the macula and optic nerve, cotton wool spots on the retina, bleeding in the back of the eye and narrowing of blood vessels. 

Can this Eye Condition Be Treated or Prevented?

Lowering blood pressure and maintaining a healthy level remain the best ways to treat and control hypertensive retinopathy. Controlling your blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight and following the diet recommended by your physician can prevent this eye condition. Diligently taking prescribed medications for blood pressure and being more physically active can help as well. Also, don’t forget to see your eye doctor regularly.

Other Ways Hypertension Can Affect Your Eyes

Aside from hypertensive retinopathy, high blood pressure can also result in choroidopathy or fluid buildup under the retina. This eye condition can distort your vision and even cause scarring that can harm your sight. 

Another eye problem that can occur due to high blood pressure is optic neuropathy or nerve damage. Restricted or blocked blood flow can cause damage to the optic nerve. As a result, bleeding may occur within your eye. You may also experience vision loss. 

Tips to Help Keep Your Blood Pressure in Control

Increase Your Physical Activity

If you have hypertension, exercising 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes a week can reduce your blood pressure by around 5 to 8 mm Hg. Consistency is key because when you stop moving, your blood pressure will likely rise again. People with elevated blood pressure can also avoid hypertension with regular exercise. 

Cycling, swimming, walking, jogging, and dancing are some aerobic exercises that can help lower your blood pressure. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is also beneficial. This exercise involves switching between short periods of intense movements and brief recovery periods of lighter activity. Strength training is another option you have, which can help lower blood pressure as well. If possible, practice strength training at least twice a week. You should always consult your doctor first before starting a workout program. 

Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet

Be sure to include fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet. Try to avoid consuming foods that are high in cholesterol and saturated fats. You should also add potassium-rich foods to your diet instead of taking supplements. Your health care provider can recommend the ideal potassium level for you. 

It may help to start a food diary where you write down what you eat. Tracking down your meals is great for monitoring what and how much you eat. When grocery shopping, make sure to read labels and stick to healthier options when eating out. 

Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly

Over time, high blood pressure can lead to glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness for individuals over 60. It is a group of eye conditions that can cause severe damage to the optic nerve. Many forms of glaucoma have no early warning signs, making the condition difficult to detect in its early stages. 

Keep in mind that glaucoma-related vision loss can’t be reversed. Regular eye checks can help detect and treat glaucoma in its early stages. Your eye doctor can include glaucoma screening in your contact eye exam.

Lose Excess Weight 

Your blood pressure tends to increase as you gain weight, a reason obesity is a risk factor for hypertension. When you are overweight, you may experience sleep apnea or difficulty breathing while you’re sleeping, which can increase your blood pressure even more. Losing weight is an effective way to reduce and control your blood pressure. 

Don’t Smoke

Letting go of bad lifestyle habits, such as smoking, is beneficial for hypertensive individuals. If you don’t currently smoke, starting is never a good idea. If you are currently a smoker, quitting can help bring your blood pressure back to normal. It can lower your risk of developing heart disease and improve your overall wellbeing. 

Reduce Your Caffeine Intake

If you rarely consume caffeine, your blood pressure can increase by up to 10 mm Hg upon consumption. However, if you drink coffee daily, you won’t experience a significant change in your blood pressure. You can determine if caffeine increases your blood pressure by checking it within 30 minutes of drinking a caffeinated drink. An increase of 5 to 10 mm Hg may occur if you are sensitive to the caffeine’s blood pressure-raising effects.