High cholesterol is harmful because it increases the risk of heart disease without giving any warning signs.
However, sometimes waxy deposits can rise to the surface.
Dr. Blair Lonsberry, clinic director of the Vision Clinic at Pacific University in Portland, Oregon, has recognized this phenomenon in his “younger” patients.
It’s certainly a concern, but it’s worth having checked out, he says.
Corneal arch may indicate elevated cholesterol levels
Howell Findley, OD
He told Review of Optometry: “There is a deposit on the front of your eye which is indicative of cholesterol. I would expect to see this in a patient over 60, but because you are younger I would advise you to have your cholesterol checked.”
According to the doctor, it’s not an indication that you “definitely” have elevated cholesterol, adding, “Even if you do have elevated cholesterol, the deposit in your eye doesn’t indicate whether you have the good cholesterol or the bad cholesterol — it’s just an indication of a cholesterol deposit. So my recommendation is that you at least have your cholesterol levels evaluated.”
This deposit in the eye presents as a grayish-white ring around the cornea of the eye. It is formally known as corneal arcus. The cornea is the transparent part that covers the iris and pupil.
According to Dr. Matthew Bovenzi, Chief of Advanced Care at the University Eye Center (UEC), small, soft, yellowish raised areas of skin above the eyes and around the nose can also indicate high cholesterol. These are called xanthelasmas.
These are usually ‘benign’, but can indicate high cholesterol, the doctor said.
Research shows that about half of people with xanthelasma have abnormal cholesterol levels.
It is important to know that the only way to know for sure if you have high cholesterol is with a blood test.
Xanthelasmata is a fatty deposit of cholesterol around the eyesGetty ImagesAn Australian researcher says we should consider testing for cholesterol earlier. His team’s recent research suggests that interventions to prevent and reduce ‘bad’ cholesterol in childhood and young adulthood could help prevent premature heart disease later in life.
Publish in JAMAResearchers at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute show that people who no longer have high levels of all forms of bad cholesterol (also known as non-HDL cholesterol) by the time they reach adulthood have a similar risk of heart disease as people who have never had high levels.
Senior author, Associate Professor Costan Magnussen says dyslipidaemia, a disorder of lipid metabolism that results in abnormal levels of cholesterol, or fats, in the blood, is silent and potentially fatal in children. It is characterised by high levels of bad cholesterol, including LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and contributes to the build-up of plaque in the arteries.
Associate Professor Magnussen said there was extensive research showing that cardiovascular disease starts early in life. “We should be having conversations about screening and prevention much earlier in life rather than putting it off until mid-adulthood when the disease is often already advanced and preventive measures may be less effective,” he said.