Eyes are the window to one’s soul, as the saying goes, but did you know they also reveal a lot about a person’s health? According to an August 2012 report from The Wall Street Journal (The WSJ), eyes can provide clues to health issues ranging from rheumatoid arthritis and lupus to diabetes and brain tumors.

The reason our eyes reveal so much about our health, the WSJ states, has to do with our bodies’ interconnected systems. The article states “changes in the eye can reflect those in the vascular, nervous and immune system, among others. And because the eyes are see-through in a way other organs aren’t, they offer a unique glimpse into the body.”

 

For this reason, and for the sake of your eyes, routine eye exams are essential, as eye doctors can sometimes spot a potential medical condition before other doctors can, often leading to an earlier diagnosis and treatment. For example, tiny blood clots in the retina can be an indicator of a risk for stroke, while thickened blood-vessel walls paired with narrowing of the vessels are a sign of high blood pressure.

 

Because the eyes can offer clues for an array of …