Bloodshot or red eyes could be a sign of high blood pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is a very dangerous medical condition. It could lead to a person suffering from stroke or heart attack if untreated. It is also one of the leading causes of death.

According to medical practitioners, detection of early signs of hypertension could help in avoiding strokes and heart attacks.

One of the warning signs that your blood pressure is dangerously high is having red or bloodshot eyes.

We often get red eyes due to irritation or allergies. But, this condition go away in a few days. But, when it doesn't go away, better have yourself check by your doctor as you may already have hypertensive retinopathy.

Hypertensive retinopathy is the condition when you have been having a very high blood pressure that it has damaged the blood vessels of your retina. Thus, your retina's function is limited and puts pressure on your optic nerve that results to vision problems.

Symptoms that may point out that you are suffering from hypertensive retinopathy are reduced vision, eye swelling, bursting of a blood vessel and having double vision accompanied by headaches. Unfortunately, these symptoms only appear when the condition is already progressive.

Aside from prolonged hypertension, other medical conditions that can put you at risk for hypertensive retinopathy are heart disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, being overweight, eating an unhealthy diet and heavy alcohol consumption.

Prevention is always better than cure but when you are already diagnosed as being hypertensive, it doesn't mean that all is lost as there are ways that you can control it apart from medications.

One is to lose extra pounds and watching your waistline. This means switching to a healthier diet and making sure that you avoid excessive calories.

Of course, also having a healthier lifestyle helps a lot. Aside from a healthy diet, you have to complement it with regular exercise.