Get An Eye Exam: Arthritis to Cancer Seen in Eye

PHOTO: Arthritis is just one of at least five diseases that can first be picked up during an eye exam, which can be a window into systemic illness.Getty Images

Evan, now a 37-year-old who works in finance, had experienced mild back pain since college but was far more preoccupied with recurring iritis, a painful inflammation of the eye that, if left untreated, can cause blindness.

By the time he was in his 20s, he'd had five bouts. "Every time they treated it, it went away and there was never any talk initially about any other related conditions," he said.

As for his back, his primary doctor thought it was a sciatic nerve. "I never really addressed it," said Evan, not his real name. "OK, I have back pain -- everyone has back pain."

But no one ever connected the dots until 2001.

He was living in New York City and iritis struck again. This time, a new eye doctor asked Evan if he had back pain.

Genetic tests revealed Evan was positive for HLA-B27, a marker for ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a relatively common but incurable form of inflammatory arthritis that strikes young adults, causing chronic pain and sometimes more serious damage to the heart and other organs.

"It was pretty daunting, knowing I would have this for the rest of my life," he said. "But I give my eye doctor credit. He sent me to see a rheumatologist."

Spondyloarthritis -- the name for a family of inflammatory rheumatic diseases that includes AS -- is just one of many systemic diseases that can first be picked up during an eye exam.

Up to 40 percent of all individuals with ankylosing spondylitis will experience at least one episode of iritis during the course of their disease. For Evan, being referred to a rheumatologist for treatment was important.



Researchers in the United States and in Scotland are even studying how simple eye tests can diagnose illness like heart disease.









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Eye doctors emphasize that regular exams are important.

