We can summarize the ocular findings of systemic diseases with the following examples:
Diabetes: Diabetic retinopathy can involve damage and bleeding of blood vessels in the retina of the eye. This condition often presents with symptoms such as blurred vision, flashes of light or black spots.
Hypertension: High blood pressure can cause retinopathy by putting pressure on the retinal vessels. Individuals with hypertension often experience retinal vasoconstriction, hemorrhages and denim vessel in the eye.
Thyroid Diseases: Thyroid problems, especially Graves’ disease, can affect the eye muscles and lead to a condition called orbitopathy. In this case, symptoms such as swelling of the eyelids and a bulging appearance of the eyes may occur.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) may be a common finding. Rheumatoid arthritis can also lead to more serious eye problems such as scleritis, inflammation of the white part of the eye.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Lupus can lead to changes in the eyes. Conditions such as lupus retinopathy or inflammation of the optic nerve can be observed.
Sarcoidosis: Sarcoidosis can cause inflammatory conditions in the eyes such as dacryoadenitis (swelling of the lacrimal glands), uveitis or retinal vasculitis.
Sjögren’s syndrome: Sjögren’s syndrome can present with symptoms such as excessive dryness of the eyes (keratoconjunctivitissicca) and inflammation of the lacrimal glands.
Symptoms often vary depending on the type and severity of the disease. Any changes or problems in the eye are important and should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist, as they may be a symptom of an underlying systemic disease.
The content of our website is for informational purposes. It does not constitute a diagnosis or treatment recommendation. An ophthalmologist should be consulted for definitive diagnosis and treatment.
