Can High Blood Pressure Cause Retinal Detachment?
High blood pressure can be very harmful to the body, causing health problems including issues with the heart and kidneys. If untreated, high blood pressure can also affect your eyesight and lead to eye disease. High blood pressure can damage blood vessels in the retina. The retina is the layer of tissue at the back part of the eye. It changes light and images that enter the eye into nerve signals that are sent to the brain. The higher the blood pressure and the longer it has been high, the more severe the damage is likely to be.
High blood pressure can’t directly cause retinal detachment. But if you have high blood pressure, you are at a higher risks of retinal detachment. There are other health conditions that can cause a person to be at an increased risk of experiencing retinal detachment including diabetes, sickle cell anemia and severe myopia.
Retinal detachment occurs when the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. When blood pressure increases, fluid is forced from capillaries behind the retina, causing blisters to form on the surface of the retina. As the capillaries become weakened, detachment may occur.
High blood pressure can cause several eye conditions; the most common is known as hypertensive retinopathy.
Most people with eye disease from high blood pressure do not have symptoms until late in the disease. Symptoms may include: Double vision, dim vision or vision loss and headaches.
In order to treat eye problems from high blood pressure, the high blood pressure must be under control. If not treated, permanent damage may result.
A retinal examination can reveal retinal problems, including those caused by high blood pressure and retinal detachment. To schedule a retinal examination with our doctors in Phoenix, contact Associated Retina Consultants at 602-242-4928 or website. If you have high blood pressure and experience sudden vision changes or headaches, seek emergency medical help right away.