During a comprehensive eye exam, an eye care provider can detect increased pressure in the brain, including swelling of the optic nerve or bleeding into the retina of the eye, which may indicate an aneurysm is present.
How can an optician detect an aneurysm? Through an eye test, an optician can see increased pressure within the brain. Swelling of the optic nerve or bleeding into the retina can also be an indication of Aneurysm. If your optician finds these symptoms they will advise you on what to do next.
An eye examination can reveal details about brain injury, says Michael Seiff, MD, a neurosurgeon at Sunrise Hospital. In this video, he says the retina can display signs of hemorrhage and brain trauma.
Some aneurysms are symptomatic because they press on adjacent structures, such as nerves to the eye. They can cause visual loss or diminished eye movements, even if the aneurysm has not ruptured.
Symptoms of an unruptured brain aneurysm can include: visual disturbances, such as loss of vision or double vision. pain above or around your eye. numbness or weakness on 1 side of your face.
A sudden, severe headache is the key symptom of a ruptured aneurysm. This headache is often described by people as the worst headache they've ever experienced. In addition to a severe headache, symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm can include: Nausea and vomiting.
Blurring of vision may occur if excess fluid (edema) leaks from the macroaneurysm. Bleeding (vitreous hemorrhage) from a macroaneurysm causes floaters that can look like tiny dots or cobwebs moving about in your vision.
An unruptured brain aneurysm may cause zero symptoms. People can live with them for years before detection. If a brain aneurysm is unruptured, no blood has broken through the blood vessel walls. This means the "balloon" in your blood vessel remains intact.
Yes, eye tests can sometimes detect brain tumours. In fact, they can even spot brain tumours before there are any noticeable symptoms, making routine eye tests a good choice if possible.
Stroke: Sometimes eye doctors can detect blood vessel blockages in the back of the eye, which pose a high stroke risk. A regular vision exam can help detect a stroke before it happens, especially in older individuals.
People can mistake an aneurysm for a migraine headache, delaying care and possibly leading to significant harm. It is important to learn the differences and what to do when warning signs of an aneurysm are present.
A brain aneurysm is usually diagnosed using angiography. Angiography is a type of X-ray used to check blood vessels. This involves inserting a needle, usually in the groin, through which a narrow tube called a catheter can be guided into one of your blood vessels.
Cerebral angiogram: This uses advanced X-ray imaging to guide a catheter (thin plastic tube) through a leg artery to the brain. A dye highlights blood vessels and blood flow. Doctors can see the size, shape and location of the aneurysm. This is the definitive way to diagnose aneurysms.
Be Aware of These Brain Aneurysm Symptoms
Bain says, which may mean an aneurysm is pressing on your brain or nerves: Headache in one spot. Pain above or behind your eye. Dilated pupils.
Brain aneurysms can occur in anyone and at any age. They are most common in adults between the ages of 30 and 60 and are more common in women than in men. People with certain inherited disorders are also at higher risk.
An unruptured brain aneurysm can manifest as recurrent or chronic headaches. Even with successful treatment, many people who have had an unruptured brain aneurysm will continue to experience these headaches.
To detect a brain aneurysm, you would have to have a brain scan that allows your doctor to see the blood vessels in your brain as the blood shows through.
The test is simple: Holding up one hand and keeping the palm flat, the patient flexes their thumb as far as possible across the palm. If the thumb crosses beyond the far edge of the flat palm, the patient may be harboring a hidden aneurysm.
Some aneurysms go undetected and may not cause any symptoms at all, especially if they're small (less than the size of a pencil eraser). You may not ever know that you have one, or it may be found during an imaging test — such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — that you are having for a separate medical condition.
Migraine headaches and brain aneurysms can sometimes share some symptoms. It's rare, but an aneurysm that is large or growing can push on nerves or tissue and cause migraine-like symptoms, including: Headaches. Pain above or behind the eyes.
Causes of aneurysms
high blood pressure (hypertension) over many years resulting in damage and weakening of blood vessels. fatty plaques (atherosclerosis) resulting in a weakness of the blood vessel wall. inherited diseases that may result in weaker than normal blood vessel walls.
Common risk factors that may contribute to having an aneurysm include: Smoking and alcohol consumption (especially binge drinking) Atherosclerosis, a fatty build-up on the walls of blood vessels. High blood pressure.