High levels of cholesterol in the blood are harmful to health and can lead to serious complications. The condition often has no clear symptoms in the early stages, meaning many people are unaware they have high blood cholesterol until it’s too late. However, the eyes may indicate dangerously high cholesterol levels, according to the British newspaper Express.
**Blue Ring in the Eyes**
One sign of high cholesterol in the eye is the appearance of blue rings that form near the outer part of the cornea, the clear front part of the eye. These rings are more common as people age, as more cholesterol is deposited in the cornea. The rings are generally harmless, although they can sometimes be a symptom of high blood cholesterol in people under 45 years old.
**Hollenhorst Plaque**
The British College of Optometry reports that one of the very serious signs, which could potentially lead to blindness, is the presence of a plaque in one of the small arteries in the eye, known as Hollenhorst plaque. This results from cholesterol buildup, preventing blood flow and thus blocking the main artery in the eye, causing the death of the tissue that is nourished by that artery.
**Cholesterol Deposits**
These are soft, flat, yellowish lumps. They tend to appear on the upper and lower eyelids, near the inner corner of the eye, and often develop symmetrically around the eyes.
