Your Eyes: The Window To Your Health

Your eyes are a unique window into health. Here is a list of some of the things your eyes can tell you about your entire body:

Disappearing eyebrows

When the outer third of your eyebrow starts to disappear on its own, this is a common sign of thyroid disease.

A stye that won’t go away

If it doesn’t clear up in three months, or keeps recurring in the same location, it could be a rare cancer called sebaceous gland carcinoma.

Burning eyes and blurry vision while using a computer

This is the result of “computer vision syndrome” (CVS). The eyestrain is partly caused by the lack of contrast on a computer screen, and the extra work involved in focusing on pixels.

A small blind spot in your vision, with shimmering lights or a wavy line

A migraine aura produces this disturbed vision. It may or may not be accompanied by a headache.

Whites of the eye turned yellowish

This is known as jaundice. It appears in either newborns with immature liver function, or adults with problems of the liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts.

Eyes that seem to bulge

The most common cause of protruding eyes is hyperthyroidism, which is overactivity of the thyroid gland.

Sudden double vision, dim vision, or loss of vision

These are the visual warning signs of stroke.

Blurred vision in a diabetic

Diabetics are at increased risk for several eye problems, but the most common is diabetic retinopathy, in which diabetes affects the circulatory system of the eye. It’s the leading cause of blindness in American adults.