What can photos of your eye, a suddenly droopy eyelid or tear tests tell you about your health? Find out!
Each month the doctors at Relf EyeCare share the newest eye health findings from around the globe. Here are this month’s top three articles.
A retinal photo that can predict a heart attack?
Say cheese! Or maybe not cheese, maybe celery or something. Using an image of the retinal blood vessels Google says it was able to accurately predict which patients within five years would experience a heart attack or other major cardiovascular event, and which patient would not, with 70% accuracy. Those results were in line with testing methods that require blood be drawn to measure a patient’s cholesterol. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would prefer a picture to having my blood drawn. Read more from USA today.
Could a droopy eyelid be a problem?
Yes, especially if it’s new. This young lady thought that her eyelid was drooping because she was tired, and had drank alcohol. But, the cause turned out to be more sinister, a brain tumor. Some people are born with one eyelid that is lower, and that isn’t cause for alarm. But, if an eyelid starts to droop suddenly, call your eye doctor immediately. Read more about brain tumor signals.
Can a tear test determine Parkinson’s disease?
So, first a retinal photo to detect cardiovascular issues, and now a tear test to determine Parkinson’s disease? Yes. The protein responsible for causing damage in Parkinson’s disease shows up in the tears of non-symptomatic patients. Doctors feel that this information will be valuable for earlier treatment even better than a blood draw. Read more more from The Independent.
If you have questions about your eye health or would like to schedule an appointment, contact us.
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