Ocular manifestations of hypertension

Elevated blood pressure leads to a multitude of vascular changes in eye. The earliest ocular effect of hypertension comprises of retinal microvascular changes called hypertensive retinopathy which is associated with indicators of end-organ damage (e.g., left ventricular hypertrophy, renal impairment) and may herald future risk of clinical events such as stroke, congestive heart failure and cardiovascular mortality.Hypertension is also a major risk factor for the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy and has been associated with other ocular diseases such as retinal artery and vein occlusion, retinal arteriolar emboli, retinal macroaneurysm, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. In the management of patients with hypertension, physicians must be aware of the entire spectrum of the association between blood pressure and the eye.