Insights in Blood Pressure

A Note on Hypertensive Eye Disease

Hypertension is linked to a variety of vision-threatening eye diseases, such as retinal vascular occlusion, retinal macroaneurysm, and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Furthermore, hypertension has been linked to the aetiology of age-related macular degeneration and may increase the vision-threatening effects of diabetic retinopathy. Sustained hypertension manifests itself in the eye as hypertensive retinopathy and choroidopathy, indicating a systemic pathology. To ensure that hypertension patients are diagnosed and treated, close collaboration between ophthalmologists and general practitioners/physicians is required. In these patients, prompt management may lessen the risk of vision-threatening and systemic consequences. Systemic hypertension is linked to retinopathy, choroidopathy, and optic neuropathy in the retinal microvasculature, as well as an elevated risk of ocular vasculature anomalies like arterial and venous occlusive disease, retinal arteriolar macroaneurysm development, and embolic events.

Author(s):

Roland Schmieder
Division of Research, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, USA

Abstract | PDF

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