What is the impact of kidney failure on the eyes?

Today’s world is so advanced that not only technology-wise, even health-wise, the illness is increasing its effects on the human body. Today’s common problems are Heart attacks, Kidney failures, Eye problems, hormonal imbalance, etc. The main causes for all these health issues are diabetes, hypertension, and increased stress levels. The most frequent query any kidney patient has is “can kidney failure cause blindness?” The query cannot be denied as a common one as it is a query of concern and requires immediate action.

What do you mean by kidney failure?

A kidney does the function of removing wastes and extra fluid from the body. Apart from these, the kidney also removes unwanted acids from the body. When all the unwanted material goes out of the body through urine, water levels, salts, and minerals like sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium are balanced in the blood. The blood vessel will remain healthy, and healthy blood flow will always keep all other organs healthy.

When a kidney loses its ability to remove waste and excess fluids, that situation is called kidney failure. If the excess fluids and wastes are not removed, the hands and legs start swelling, and the body starts losing its immunity as the body cannot get clean blood. Improper control of diabetes or hypertension may worsen the problem of kidneys.

Effect of Kidney failure on the parts of the human body:

  • Heart: Due to the failure of the kidney, certain fluids start accumulating around the heart, lungs, and other body tissues. This strains the pumping of the blood increasing blood pressure. Apart from diabetes, hypertension is one of the causes of heart attacks.
  • Eyes: If you are having any query like “can kidney failure cause blindness?”, the answer would be yes. The improper filtration of fluids and wastes by the kidney will damage the eyes. The eyes become dry and will turn red. Due to dryness in the eyes, the itching sensation is also experienced. The irritation is due to the deposit of excess calcium and phosphorus in the eye. The most affected parts of the eyes are:- cornea, sclera, conjunctiva. The problem is also experienced in case if the patient is on dialysis. The eye is a sensitive organ, and any small injury will have a strong effect on it. If the problem is arising due to kidney failure, it has to be solved immediately; else it will result in the blindness of one eye or both eyes.
  • Blood system: When a kidney gets damaged or is not functioning properly, the hormone called erythropoietin Is produced less in the body and results in iron deficiency and anaemia.
  • Skin: Due to kidney failure, a certain hormone that releases minerals like calcium, phosphorous are imbalanced. If the hormone levels are high, there is a chance of itching problems on the skin, back, chest, limbs, and head. Excess scratching will result in damaging the skin.

Conclusion: Even though diabetes and hypertension cannot be completed solved, they can be controlled to live a happy and healthy life. A person without diabetes or hypertension may also have heart, kidney, or eye diseases. So having a nutritious diet, regular exercise, brisk walking, and regular consultation with the physician will keep all the health issues under control.