How to Diagnose Heart Disease Through an Eye Exam

The old adage that "the eyes are the window to the soul" may be able to be adjusted to read "the eyes are the window to heart health." Researchers from Australia and other medical institutions suggest that looking at your eye health may be able to predict your risk or even diagnose early stages of heart disease.

Things You'll Need

• Eye exam
• Urine test

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Instructions

• 1

  Schedule appointments with an ophthalmologist every few years for an eye exam, or every year if you are diabetic. Prevent Blindness America suggests that most adults have their eyes checked every 2 to 4 years to detect eye diseases that may increase your risk of heart disease. People who have diabetes are already more at risk for developing eye disease and require yearly checkups.

• 2

  Undergo advanced retinal screening that may help diagnose cardiovascular disease. Dr. Tien Yin Wong of the University of Melbourne in Australia won a research award in 2005 for showing that examining a person's retina may be able to diagnose early stages of heart disease. Dr. Wong reports that a damaged retina and narrowing of the eye's blood vessels often correspond to high blood pressure and heart damage.

• 3

  Have your urine tested in conjunction with your eye exam. A 2009 issue of the "American Journal of Cardiology" published findings that people who had retinal damage called retinopathy also had a higher instance of heart disease. One of the ways in which researchers proved this link is by testing participants' urine. Those who had eye and heart diseases had a higher level of protein in their urine.

• 4

  Make an appointment with a cardiologist if your eye exams show that you may be more likely to develop heart disease. A diagnosis of heart disease can be confirmed by a heart specialist through more extensive diagnostic testing.