(NC) They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. But they’re also your window to the world around you, which is why it’s important to have your eyes tested regularly. Beyond issues with your vision, an eye exam can also help detect other health issues that you should investigate further. Particularly if your eye exam includes an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan, then it may help detect some eye conditions at earlier stages.

Here are five health issues that may be seen during an eye exam.

Brain tumours
Some types of tumours can increase pressure on the brain, which in turn can impact your eyes. An optometrist can see if you have swollen optic nerves, which can be caused by a brain tumour.

Skin cancer
Your optometrist will examine your eyes for indications of skin cancer on the eyelids, around the eyes or within the eye as part of the exam.

Diabetes
Your optometrist might be able to detect diabetes even before you’ve been diagnosed with it, by spotting a yellow fluid or bleeding in your retina. An OCT scan can also help optometrists detect early or subtle diabetic changes. Early detection of diabetes can help avoid long-term vision loss or other serious complications.

High blood pressure
An eye exam provides a non-invasive way for optometrists to view the actions of blood vessels and nerves. Changes in the retina such as bleeding or changes to blood vessels at the back of the eye can indicate high blood pressure, which is one of the risk factors for developing glaucoma.

Heart disease
An OCT scan can also help your optometrist look for signs of eye strokes which could indicate heart disease. Eye strokes happen when cells have died because they were deprived of blood or oxygen, or a vein is blocked causing blood to pool up in the eye.

Optometrists who operate the independent clinics at Specsavers include OCT scans as a standard part of all their eye exams at no additional cost to the patient.

Learn more about the benefits of regular eye exams at specsavers.ca.