Can an Eye Exam Detect a Stroke?
There are so many reasons for you to make sure that you attend your yearly eye exam. It helps you to see the world around you more than before, and it can ensure that some common diseases are found as soon as possible. But many people wonder whether an eye exam will be able to help them detect a stroke.
An eye exam can be used to help detect a stroke in the patient says Eye on Health Phoenix, an excellent place to book an eye exam. The eye doctor will be able to use a few different tricks while checking the vision of the patient to see whether there is a possibility of a stroke. The results could be key to helping patients stay healthy and get some of the medical treatment that they need.
Let’s take a look at how an eye exam will be able to help eye doctors and patients diagnose a stroke in order to keep the patient as healthy as possible.
How Can Eye Exams Find Strokes?
When you go into your eye exam, there are a few things that the doctor is going to look for when it comes to your health, both for your eyes and for your overall health. Many are using modern research in order to help them figure out whether a patient has had a stroke or not.
Stroke researchers have started to test out a one-minute eye exam that was about to detect 69 out of 69 strokes out of the participants, making it very effective as well. The exam had three parts that the eye doctor could do, including:
- Moving the head of the patient quickly from side to side to see whether they could keep the eyes stable.
- Looking for any of the jerking eye movements when the patient follows the finger of the eye doctor from left to right
- Checking the position of the eyes to see if one is higher up than the others.
Depending on the results that the eye doctor found in the tests, they could predict with great accuracy whether the patient had a stroke.
Common Eye Issues That Predict a Stroke
There are a few different eye conditions that can be found during an eye exam that will tell the eye doctor there is the potential for a stroke. Some of these include:
- Double vision
- Sudden loss of vision or a temporary loss of vision in one of the eyes
- You notice that an area of your vision is missing
If you start to notice some of these symptoms, then it is time to get to your doctor to get things checked out and make sure that you are safe.
Side Effects of a Stroke on the Eyes
There are a few side effects that a doctor will notice when the patient has already gone through a stroke. These are signs they can look for to see if a stroke has occurred, but the patient may not know about it ahead of time. The symptoms to look for include the following:
- Eye movement problems: These are common after having a stroke because the nerve that is there to control your eye movement may be damaged. This results in the stroke sufferer having trouble controlling the muscles of the eyes. Eye movement problems can be treated with surgery or therapy based on the amount of damage.
- Eye tracking: This is the ability of the eyes to go from one point to another using a smooth movement. There can be issues with eye tracking after a stroke.
- Vision field loss: This is the inability of the patient to see parts of the visual field. This can be a side effect because that part of the brain is damaged. After a stroke, it is impossible to restore this part of the brain, but you can use different treatments to help you get the most out of your current vision.
- Dry eyes: This can happen after a stroke because the muscles in the eyelids and the face will weaken. Strokes can make it hard for you to close your eyes all the way, which can make the eyes dry as well. Eye drops can be a good treatment for this.
If you are suffering from any of the problems above, then it is a good idea to discuss it with your eye doctor. They will be able to check for these side effects and then give you some of the help and treatment that you need to feel better.
Taking Care of Your Eyes
Whether you have gone through a stroke, are worried you have some of the signs of a stroke or are perfectly healthy, it is important to take good care of your eyes. Sticking with your routine eye appointments will make all of the difference and can ensure that your eyes will stay strong and protect you through the years.