If you are of the view that hypertension or high BP could just affect heart health only, then this article would surprise you!!
Many these days have hypertension or high blood pressure or BP and they take medications plus do some activities etc to keep BP under control. High BP would damage the blood vessels leading to massive heart attacks etc is known. Not many of us would know that having high BP could also damage the eyes.
It must be noted that when the BP is high then the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the eyes would get damaged. As a result, we could have several eye issues. Thoise tiny and delicate blood vessels in the eyes would get damaged due to high BP. The blood vessels in the retina would also get damaged due to hypertension of high BP.
Side effects of high BP on the vision are
Retinopathy:
In this issue, the blood vessels present in the retina, a light sensitive tissue at the back of the eyes, would get damaged. This could lead to vision issues or even blindness etc.
Optic neuropathy:
The visual information from the eye gets transferred to the brain by means of the optic nerve. This optic nerve could get damaged due to high blood pressure in us. There are also chances of vision loss in those with this issue.
Hypertensive retinopathy:
It is noteworthy that high BP could lead to changes in the blood vessels in the retina including narrowing, leaking, bleeding or swelling of the optic nerve etc. In the long run, this could result in loss of vision also.
Macular degeneration:
A condition affecting the central vision or macular degeneration could be seen in those with high BP. This would make the person have difficulty reading, driving etc.
Ways to maintain eye health are
By taking breaks:
We must look at the screen continuously for hours together and must take breaks in between for the eyes.
Wear sunglasses:
The rays from the sun can be harsh and it would damage the eyes. It is necessary to wear sunglasses to protect the eyes.
Eat healthy fofoods:
We could have good eye health if we eat fruits, vegetables etc . It is important that we must eat vitamin A rich foods for eye health.
Avoid smoking:
Issues like cataracts, macular degeneration could be due to smoking and it must be avoided totally for the sake of the eyes.