An optometrist, Dr Chika Ugagu, says prolonged, untreated or mismanaged high blood pressure can result in blindness.
Ugagu explained the reason for his assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Jos.
“Over time, if the blood pressure goes up and is not managed properly, it leads to the destruction of the retinal blood vessels that supplies blood to the retina,” she said.
She further explained that the retina is the thin cell at the back of the eyeball where light is converted into neural signals and sent to the brain.
According to her, when the blood pressure is high and not managed over time, the retinal wall becomes very thick and the blood-flow to the retina is reduced, thereby leading to a decline in the function of the retina.
She also said that high blood pressure that is not managed could cause the retina blood vessels to burst and leak and this causes blood to get into the eye.
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According to her, when a blood pressure isn’t under control, it increases the pressure on the optic nerve.
“If anything happens to the retina or optic nerve that sends signals to the brain, it causes partial blindness and then the full loss of sight,” she warned.
She advised that those who are hypertensive should ensure that their blood pressures were regulated.
She advised that blood pressure should be regulated to avoid preventable blindness that could occur due to hypertension cases that are not managed.
She further advised that hypertensive patients to ensure that they stick to their drug taking routine to keep the blood pressure in check.
(NAN)
