{"id":6498,"date":"2022-12-19T21:56:13","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T21:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.theemtspot.com\/?p=6498"},"modified":"2026-04-11T19:54:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:54:01","slug":"hypertensive-retinopathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/hypertensive-retinopathy\/","title":{"rendered":"Hypertensive Retinopathy: Symptoms, Stages, Causes, And Treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>Hypertensive retinopathy is a severe condition of the eye. Read how to spot it, the reason behind and how to manage it over time to prevent permanent vision loss.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"457\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-content\/uploads\/hypertensive-retinopathy.jpg\" alt=\"hypertensive retinopathy\" class=\"wp-image-6505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-content\/uploads\/hypertensive-retinopathy.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-content\/uploads\/hypertensive-retinopathy-768x439.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-larger-font-size\"><strong>Quick Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"--ek-bullet-color:#ea4474\" class=\"wp-block-list is-style-connected has-list-bullet-color\">\n<li>Chronic hypertension can damage the retina.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Severe symptoms of chronic hypertensive retinopathy (HR) can affect your vision badly or cause blindness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hypertensive crisis causes the retina to bleed from microscopic superficial haemorrhages (cotton-wool spots), small yellow areas of inflammation, and optic disk swelling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HR can be diagnosed with funduscopy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is usually treated with corticosteroids or antivascular endothelial growth factor drugs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Hypertensive retinopathy is a potentially <strong>sight-threatening condition<\/strong> with physical effects on the eyes. The effects of the disease, which can cause blindness, have been linked to hypertensive crises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can have <strong>swollen<\/strong> eyes, bleeding, or any of many other abnormal changes that occur in the eye due to pressure in the eyeball (the vitreous).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article <strong>overviews<\/strong> <strong>hypertensive retinopathy<\/strong>, its symptoms, the various stages of the condition, the main reasons behind the condition, and the treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">What Is Hypertensive Retinopathy?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hypertension retinopathy is <strong>vascular damage<\/strong> to the retinal part of an eye due to prolonged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/hypertension\/\" class=\"ek-link\">high blood pressure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">Symptoms Of Hypertensive Retinopathy<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Symptoms of hypertensive retinopathy typically <strong>don&#8217;t arise until late<\/strong>. But when they do, you may notice the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Swelling in the eye<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poor vision<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bursting of a blood vessel<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Double vision along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/does-high-blood-pressure-cause-headaches\/\">headaches<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">Classification of Hypertensive Retinopathy<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Keith-Wagener-Barker scale breaks down retinopathy into 4 different levels or stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Grade 1:<\/strong> <strong>Mild narrowing<\/strong> in retinal artery<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grade 2:<\/strong> <strong>More narrowing<\/strong> of the arteries than in Grade 1.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grade 3:<\/strong> Retinal haemorrhage, or <strong>bleeding<\/strong> on the retina, with an eye&#8217;s <strong>inability to focus<\/strong>. Symptoms may or may not be present.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grade 4:<\/strong> Grade 4 retinopathy is an <strong>extreme stage<\/strong> of the condition that can give you signs of grade 3 but more severely, such as <strong>optic disc swelling<\/strong> and <strong>macular oedema<\/strong>. People with grade 4 are also more susceptible to stroke and may face cardiac or renal damage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">Why Does Hypertensive Retinopathy Happen?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>High blood pressure<\/strong> is the main root cause of hypertensive retinopathy. As the blood moves around the body at a higher pressure, including the eyes, <strong>arteries <\/strong>will begin to <strong>stretch<\/strong>. This can lead to damage to the retina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>more prolonged <\/strong>the high blood pressure, the <strong>greater the risk<\/strong> of developing hypertensive retinopathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">How Is Hypertensive Retinopathy Diagnosed?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Funduscopy<\/strong> is a screening test that detects early <strong>arterial constriction<\/strong> in hypertension retinopathy. This is characterized by a decrease in the ratio of the width of the retinal arterioles to the length of the retinal venules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">What Are The Main Risk Factors For Hypertensive Retinopathy?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may develop hypertensive retinopathy if you have the following conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Atherosclerosis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obesity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diabetes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>High cholesterol<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>High blood pressure or hypertension for many years<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Smoking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unhealthy diet (such as high in trans fats, sodium, and sugary foods, high alcohol consumption<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> People of <strong>African descent race<\/strong> are more prone to be affected by the condition. Also, <strong>women<\/strong> <strong>develop<\/strong> hypertensive retinopathy more than men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">How Is Hypertensive Retinopathy Diagnosed?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Many methods<\/strong> have been developed to inspect hypertensive retinopathy, including but not limited to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ophthalmoscope<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An eye specialist uses an ophthalmoscope for this test. This simple device <strong>shines a light<\/strong> across the pupil and can <strong>detect signs of narrowing blood vessels<\/strong>, leaking fluid, or other problems with your eye. The procedure is completely painless and takes less than 10 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fluorescein angiography<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a comprehensive dilated eye exam to help diagnose diabetic retinopathy. In this, a practitioner uses <strong>eye drops to dilate<\/strong> (widen) the pupils for greater retina and optic nerve visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After your pupils dilate and you&#8217;ve taken a <strong>dye injection in your vein<\/strong>, pictures are taken as the dye circulates through your eyes&#8217; blood vessels. The <strong>images can pinpoint<\/strong> closed, broken, or leaking blood vessels to help diagnose retinopathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> The drops can cause your vision to become <strong>blurry<\/strong> till the effect of the drops subsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">Treatment For Hypertensive Retinopathy<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The treatment for hypertensive retinopathy involves <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/how-to-lower\/\" class=\"ek-link\"><strong>lowering blood pressure<\/strong><\/a>. However, working with the <strong>patient&#8217;s primary care doctor<\/strong> is <strong>vital<\/strong> for adequate evaluation and treatment of hypertensive retinopathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is also important to <strong>diagnose the condition timely<\/strong> and begin appropriate treatment. This way, the physician can prevent vision-threatening complications from occurring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moderate to severe hypertensive retinopathy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Giving people an individualized approach to hypertension treatment is critically important. So, start by <strong>reducing <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/map\/\" class=\"ek-link\"><strong>mean arterial pressure<\/strong><\/a> by 10-15% in the first hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Treatment for high blood pressure can start with <strong>medications given parenterally<\/strong>, followed by oral medication. This will help to lower systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/hypertension\/\" class=\"ek-link\">blood pressure reading<\/a> to <strong>&lt; 130 mm Hg<\/strong> in about <strong>2-3 months<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note: <\/strong>The easiest way to reduce blood pressure levels is through <strong>controlled and low-dose reductions<\/strong> so that there is no significant increase in risk for ischemic damage to the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">Medications For Hypertensive Retinopathy<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/medications\/\" class=\"ek-link\">Medications<\/a> to lower blood pressure include <strong>angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/blood-pressure\/medications\/diuretics\/\" class=\"ek-link\">diuretics<\/a>, and calcium channel blockers<\/strong>. Other medications that may be used further are \u03b1-adrenergic blockers, central \u03b12-adrenergic agonists, and direct vasodilators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hypertensive retinopathy is a serious health complication that requires close follow-up and individualized care for each patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"rtex-highlighter-1\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hypertensive retinopathy is a condition that can lead to vision loss. It&#8217;s essential to <strong>see a doctor for sudden changes <\/strong>in your vision, seeing floaters or even flashes of light, seeing colours incorrectly, or having difficulty reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are <strong>treatments available<\/strong> for hypertensive retinopathy, and each patient will respond differently to a treatment. So talk to your doctor about what could be causing them and what treatments might be best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-slate-section-text-with-cta gb-slate-text-with-cta gb-layout-columns-1 gb-1-col-equal gb-has-background-dim gb-has-background-dim-30 gb-has-custom-background-color has-black-color gb-columns-center alignwide\" style=\"padding-top:3em;padding-right:1em;padding-bottom:3em;padding-left:1em;background-color:#ffeaf0;background-position:50% 52%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-3 gb-is-responsive-column\" style=\"max-width:872px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color\" style=\"color:#000000;font-size:28px\">You can listen the review of this article on TheEMTSpot\u2019s PODCAST (Episode 25) hosted by Samuel Harrison and Olivia Harper \u2013 check out the video below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How High Blood Pressure Affects Your Vision | TheEMTSpot&#039;s PODCAST (EP. 25)\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UaQH-4JbRIc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t<div id=\"daexthefu-container\"\r\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"daexthefu-container daexthefu-layout-side-by-side daexthefu-alignment-left\"\r\n\t\t\t\tdata-post-id=\"6498\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-feedback\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-text\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"daexthefu-title\">Was this helpful?<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-buttons-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-buttons\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-yes daexthefu-button daexthefu-button-type-text\" data-value=\"1\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-button-text\">Yes<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-no daexthefu-button daexthefu-button-type-text\" data-value=\"0\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-button-text\">No<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment-top-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<label id=\"daexthefu-comment-label\" class=\"daexthefu-comment-label\"><\/label>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment-character-counter-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"daexthefu-comment-character-counter-number\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"daexthefu-comment-character-counter-number\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment-character-counter-text\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<textarea id=\"daexthefu-comment-textarea\" class=\"daexthefu-comment-textarea\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Type your message\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmaxlength=\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t400\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"><\/textarea>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-comment-buttons-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"daexthefu-comment-submit daexthefu-button\">Submit<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"daexthefu-comment-cancel daexthefu-button\">Cancel<\/button>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"daexthefu-successful-submission-text\">Thanks for your feedback!<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hypertensive retinopathy is a severe condition of the eye. Read how to spot it, the reason behind and how to manage it over time to prevent permanent vision loss. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_helpful_status":1,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blood-pressure"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":538590,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6498\/revisions\/538590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theemtspot.com\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}