14 Things Your Eyes Say About Your Health
Glaucoma and cataracts aren't the only problems that can be seen by gazing into someone's eyes
Looking people straight in the eye may or may not reveal their
honesty -- but the eyes *can* tell you about cholesterol, liver disease,
or diabetes, if you know what to look for.
"The eye is a unique window into health," says
ophthalmologist Andrew Iwach, spokesperson for the American Academy of
Ophthalmology (AAO) and executive director of the Glaucoma Center of San
Francisco. "It's the only place in the body where, without surgery, we
can look in and see veins, arteries, and a nerve (the optic nerve)."
The
eyes' transparency explains why common eye diseases such as glaucoma,
cataracts, and macular degeneration can be detected early with regular
eye exams.
"Unfortunately, people get busy and delay not only eye
exams but regular physicals. That's why eye doctors sometimes discover
other issues, like diabetes or high blood pressure," Iwach says.
Especially vulnerable, he says: People like
caregivers, who worry about others around them while neglecting care for themselves.
Keep your eye out for these 14 problems.
1. Red flag: Disappearing eyebrows
What it means: Shaved
eyebrows are a fad (or fashion, if you will) in some circles. But when
the outer third of the brow (the part closest to the ears) starts to
disappear on its own, this is a common sign of thyroid disease -- either
hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland) or hypothyroidism
(underactive thyroid gland). The thyroid is a small but critical gland
that helps regulate metabolism, and thyroid hormones are among those
critical to hair production.
More clues:
Brows tend to thin with age naturally. But with thyroid disease, the
brow-hair loss isn't evenly distributed; it's a selective dropout on the
ends. There's usually a loss of hair elsewhere on the body, too, but
the brows are so prominent, it's often noticed here first. Early graying
is a related sign of a thyroid problem. Women are more often affected
than men, and hyperthyroidism especially strikes women in their 20s and
30s.
What to do: Mention this symptom to
a dermatologist or your regular doctor. Most other symptoms of both
hyper- and hypothyroidism are notoriously broad and general. Before you
see a doctor, make note of any other changes you've noticed, possibly
concerning weight, energy levels, bowel or menstrual regularity, mood,
or skin changes.
2. Red flag: A stye that won't go away
What it means: The
vast majority of the time, a small, raised, often reddish bump along
the inner or outer eyelid margin is just an unsightly but innocuous stye
(also called a "chalazion"). But if the spot doesn't clear up in three
months, or seems to keep recurring in the same location, it can also be a
rare cancer (sebaceous gland carcinoma).
More clues: Actual
styes are plugged-up oil glands at the eyelash follicle. Fairly common,
they tend to clear up within a month. A cancerous cyst that mimics a
stye, on the other hand, doesn't go away. (Or it may seem to go away but
return in the same spot.) Another eyelid cancer warning sign: Loss of
some of the eyelashes around the stye.
What to do: Point
out a persistent stye to an ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who
specializes in the eye). A biopsy can confirm the diagnosis. The stye is
usually removed surgically.
