What eye diseases can prolonged high blood pressure cause?

In the long term, high blood pressure has a significant impact on eye health and increases the risk of many eye diseases. Therefore, patients need to be aware of this risk and take early measures to protect eye health.

High blood pressure is a common disease that affects millions of people around the world . The disease is considered a "silent killer" because it does not cause obvious symptoms but silently damages health, according to the health website Healthline (USA).

High blood pressure over time can damage the blood vessels leading to the retina and cause a variety of vision problems.

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Long-term high blood pressure damages every blood vessel in the body, including those in the eyes. The retina in particular is supplied with blood by a network of tiny blood vessels. These delicate blood vessels can be damaged by high blood pressure and lead to a variety of vision problems.

High blood pressure increases the risk of the following eye diseases:

Hypertensive retinopathy

Hypertensive retinopathy is one of the most obvious consequences of high blood pressure. Long-term high blood pressure damages blood vessels, leading to retinal hemorrhages, fluid leakage, and bulging of small blood vessels.

If not treated promptly, this condition can cause swelling of the optic disc, leading to widespread retinal hemorrhage and even blindness.

Optic neuropathy

This is a condition in which long-term high blood pressure damages the optic nerve, which is responsible for sending nerve signals from the eye to the brain. The patient needs urgent medical intervention, as delay can lead to blindness. The characteristic symptom of the disease is blurred or complete loss of vision in both eyes.

Choroidal disease

The choroid is the thin layer of tissue in the eye that lies between the retina and the sclera. High blood pressure damages blood vessels and can reduce the blood supply to the choroid. This causes the retinal pigment epithelial cells to die and vision to decline. Young people with high blood pressure are more likely to develop this condition.

To protect your eyes and take early intervention measures, experts recommend that people with high blood pressure need to have regular eye health check-ups. Common symptoms that warn that high blood pressure is damaging the eyes are blurred vision, double vision, loss of vision, headaches, discomfort or pain in the eyes, according to Healthline.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/huyet-ap-cao-keo-dai-co-the-gay-nhung-benh-mat-nao-185240712205033432.htm