September 4, 2013 - The Eyes Tell It All

GMA, A little article for your reading pleasure this morning as a reminder that having basic exams is so critical in our journey. I am a prevention girl and continuing to have my years exams gives me some accountability with my health. I find it so interesting that a simple eye examine reveals so much. God has such a detailed and unique plan for our health. Have you been tested recently? This is more than simply needing glasses. :) Also, thanks to those I have heard from about Sunday evening. Please come - let's start this Life Group season with a fresh set of recipes and lots of support. We always pray for our bodies - so bring a friend! I have a new cookies recipe as well a chicken recipe to share with those coming. (wink) Taken from an article entitled "Are Your Eyes a Window to Disease?" Written by Leslie Barker, Columnist, May 2013 An eye exam, at its most basic, determines how well these miraculous little spheres look out on the world. It can also spot medical issues going on inside the body. “People need to realize that looking into your eyes is more than checking your vision,” says genetics counselor Linda Robinson of UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center. “Your eyes can tell us so much more than if you need glasses.” Most notably, they can show signs of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular problems. An eye exam can also reveal lupus and multiple sclerosis as well as various kinds of cancer. That’s a lot of secrets in a relatively small space. One reason is that the eye is so exposed, explains Andreane Fagala, an associate and therapeutic optometrist with Arnold M. Stokol O.D. and Associates of Richardson. “It’s the only part of the whole human body where we can visualize the arteries and veins in a noninvasive way,” she says. “When you look at any other blood vessel, you have to cut into the tissue or have a scope done.” Thus, seeing the narrowing of those vessels could indicate serious cardiovascular issues, she says. Hemorrhaging or swelling of the macula — an oval-shaped spot near the center of the retina — might mean diabetes. Spots and colors can mean the incidence of, or proclivity for, cancer. “Other than dermatologists, who see the skin, with everything else you don’t see the tissue,” says Dr. Karl Csaky, head of the molecular ophthalmology laboratory at Texas Retina Associates. “You don’t see the organ. The retina, we do. Everything that’s there, we see. Even if we can’t see it, we have great tests to further visualize it.” People sometimes ignore symptoms in other parts of their bodies, but tend to be diligent about eyesight because they need it for every aspect of their lives, Fagala says. “A lot of people don’t make the connection: How can we see this systemic thing going on, and that the whole body is reflected in the eyes?” she says. Here are some health issues — some common, some not — that the professionals might find when they examine your eyes and thus, why a yearly eye exam not only can save your vision, it can save your life.