Cholesterol and its ability to clog arteries is well known, and that’s what most people will envision first when someone mentions the dangers of high cholesterol. It’s waxy stuff and it can build up on the walls of arteries but that’s only if there’s too much of it. And most of the time when a person has too much cholesterol it’s their dietary choices that are to blame. Inhibiting the flow of blood has the potential to be a HUGE problem, but what if a person’s is at risk because of this too? This leads to can high cholesterol cause eye problems. 

Vision loss is usually the result of prolonged pressure on the eye’s optic nerve, as is the case with glaucoma. But there can be other eye problems that don’t threaten a person’s eyesight but are still plenty serious. Can high cholesterol also cause these vision problems, and if so, what can a person do to reduce blood cholesterol if that’s what their doctor deems necessary to avoid ANY type of health risk related to it. Before we go any further with this it’s important for you to understand that cholesterol isn’t inherently all bad.  

Your body actually needs some of it and uses it to help make the outer coatings of cells plus contributes to the production of Vitamin D and sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen for men and women. The bile that helps digest foods also has cholesterol as a building block, and so it’s more about having the right balance of the stuff rather than eliminating it entirely. That’s not what anyone’s going to suggest with can high cholesterol cause eye problems. Let’s now move to looking at what eye problems might occur. 

Optic Fright 

Let’s cut right to the chase and say it’s a yes for can high cholesterol cause eye problems, and more than a few of them unfortunately. People who have elevated cholesterol levels over a long period of time may have their vision start to blur, and unclear vision can make it difficult to live a normal life or be safe in the workplace. Dark spots in your vision may be possible too, and if blood flows into the eyes is impeded it is possible to feel pain too. The person may also develop xanthelasma, which is yellowing of skin around the eyes.  

We mentioned glaucoma earlier, and people who are taking Zetia to lower LDL cholesterol levels may be taking it because their high cholesterol is creating more intraocular pressure in the eye. A blood cholesterol test can very quickly determine whether it’s contributing to the problem. If it is the possibility of vision loss is usually more than enough reason for these men to start taking high cholesterol seriously.  

Having it be high over many years can also lead to retina damage too, and so for all these reasons and more it’s important to know can high cholesterol cause eye problems. Vision is essential for life, so be sure yours isn’t at risk because of this very common health ailment.