High cholesterol is harmful because it increases the risk of heart disease without showing any warning signs.
However, occasionally, a waxy deposit may bubble to the surface.
Dr. Blair Lonsberry, director of the Pacific University Vision Clinic in Portland, Oregon, has noticed this phenomenon in his “younger” patients.
It’s obviously a cause for concern, but it’s worth getting tested, he says.
Arcuate corneas may indicate elevated cholesterol levels
Howell Findley, O.D.
he Optometry Review“You have cholesterol deposits in the front of your eyes. I would expect this to occur in patients over 60, but since you are younger than that, I would recommend you get your cholesterol levels checked.”
The doctor says this is “definitely” not an indication of high cholesterol, adding: “Even if your cholesterol levels are high, deposits in your eyes don’t indicate whether it’s good or bad cholesterol, they’re just a sign of cholesterol deposits. So I would recommend at least getting your cholesterol levels checked.”
This eye deposit appears as a gray-white ring around the cornea of the eye, formally called an arcus cornea. The cornea is the clear part that covers the iris and pupil.
According to Matthew Bovenzi, M.D., director of advanced medical care at the University Eye Center (UEC), small, tender, yellowish bumps on the skin above your eyes or near your nose can also be a sign of high cholesterol. These are called xanthelasma.
While these are often “benign,” doctors say they could also be a sign of high cholesterol.
Research suggests that about half of people with xanthelasma have abnormal cholesterol levels.
It’s important to remember that the only way to know for sure if you have high cholesterol is to have a blood test.
Xanthelasmas are fatty deposits of cholesterol around the eye.Getty ImagesPeople should consider getting their cholesterol checked early in life, say Australian researchers, whose recent work suggests that interventions to prevent and reduce “bad” cholesterol in childhood and young adulthood could help prevent early heart disease later in life.
Publishing JAMAResearchers at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute have shown that people who eliminate high levels of all forms of bad cholesterol (known as non-HDL cholesterol) by adulthood have the same risk of cardiovascular disease as people who never experienced high levels.
“Dyslipidemia, a lipid metabolism disorder that results in abnormal levels of cholesterol and fats in the blood, can be silent and potentially fatal in children,” said lead author Associate Professor Kostan Magnussen. Dyslipidemia is characterised by high levels of bad cholesterol such as LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which contribute to the build-up of plaque in the arteries.
Magnussen said there is growing research showing that cardiovascular disease starts early in life. “We need to be talking about screening and prevention earlier in life, rather than putting it off until middle age, when the disease is more advanced and preventive measures are less effective,” he said.
