Ocular signs and cardiac manifestations of associated condition
| Ocular signs | Differential diagnosis | Cardiovascular manifestations |
| Hypertensive retinopathy Optic disc swelling Hypertensive optic neuropathy Choroidopathy* | Hypertension | Heart failure (hypertensive heart disease) Atrial fibrillation Stroke |
| Retinopathy† Cataracts Glaucoma Papillopathy‡ | Diabetes | Coronary artery disease |
| Corneal arcus Xanthelasma | Dyslipidaemia | Premature coronary artery disease |
| Proptosis Periorbital oedema Diplopia Lid lag Limitation in extraocular motility | Graves’ disease | Atrial fibrillation Sinus tachycardia Congestive cardiac failure Thyrotoxic cardiomyopathy Supraventricular premature contractions |
| Ptosis (worse with repetitive use) Diplopia Complex ophthalmoplegia§ Strabismus¶ | Myasthenia gravis | Takotsubo cardiomyopathy Giant cell myocarditis Arrhythmias |
| Scleritis Episcleritis Keratoconjunctivitis sicca** | Rheumatoid arthritis | Coronary artery disease Pericarditis Congestive heart failure Arrhythmias |
| Scleritis Uveitis Conjunctiva nodules Keratoconjunctivitis sicca | Sarcoidosis | Heart block Bundle branch block Ventricular tachycardia Sudden cardiac death Cardiomyopathy Heart failure Pericardial effusion |
| Ectopia lentis (iridodonesis) Myopia Blue sclera Early-onset cataract Glaucoma Strabismus Phacodonesis†† Astigmatism‡‡ | Marfan syndrome | Aortic root dilatation Pulmonary artery dilatation Valvular heart disease Infective endocarditis in children Arrhythmias Left ventricular dysfunction (heart failure) |
| Kayser-Fleischer rings | Wilson’s disease | Atrial fibrillation Heart failure Cardiomyopathy Cardiac autonomic dysfunction |
| Cornea verticillata Cataract Conjunctiva vessel abnormalities Retina vascular abnormalities | Fabry disease | Arrhythmias Increased wall thickness Aortic root dilatation Aortic and mitral regurgitation Stroke |
*Choroidopathy—damage or dysfunction of the choroid, a layer of blood vessels and connective tissue in the eye that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the retina. This can lead to vision problems and complications such as choroidal neovascularisation or macular oedema.
†Retinopathy—disease of the retina. In the context of diabetes, this can be further classified as proliferative or non-proliferative retinopathy.
‡Papillopathy—unilateral or bilateral optic disc oedema with variable degree of visual loss.
§Complex ophthalmoplegia—a condition characterised by paralysis or weakness of multiple muscles controlling eye movement.
¶Strabismus—misalignment of the eyes, causing one eye to look in a different direction than the other.
**Keratoconjunctivitis sicca—also known as dry eye syndrome. A condition when the eyes are unable to produce enough tears or the tears evaporate too quickly, resulting in dryness, irritation and inflammation.
††Phacodonesis—a condition characterised by the movement or shaking of the lens of the eye, which may be caused by weakened zonular fibres that hold the lens in place or other underlying conditions such as trauma and inflammation.
‡‡Astigmatism—a refractive error of the eye in which the cornea or lens has an irregular shape, causing blurred or distorted vision at both near and far distances.