The 17th of May is regarded as World Hypertension Day.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common ailment but can lead to serious consequences and even sudden death if not controlled. Chronic hypertension affects most of the vital organs and is the commonest cause of heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease.

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Dr M. Shahnawaz Purkait, medical superintendent at Techno India Dama Healthcare and Medical Centre, states a few guidelines for managing borderline and mild hypertension.

Maintaining proper weight as per BMI.
Having a healthy diet that is low in salt, potassium and animal proteins.
Moderate physical activity or exercise like walking, cycling, swimming or freehand, and yoga (20 to 30 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week).
Smoking cessation.
Reducing caffeine, tea, and alcohol.
Adequate sleep (6 to 8 hours) at night.
Avoiding a stressful lifestyle and spending some time in meditation.
Regular BP checkups after reaching 40 years of age.
Following all prescribed medications and taking special care if one is diabetic, obese, or has a family history of hypertension.
Special care during pregnancy when the BP can shoot up

Advanced Medical Treatment for Hypertension

Antihypertensives are usually effective for a period of 12 to 16 hours, necessitating a second drug for proper 24-hour control.
A once-a-day pill called Tryvio is approved by the FDA and is expected to be available soon.
Barostat is a drug that is effective in the treatment of hypertension and is resistant to other hypertensives.
Zilebesiran injections may help in lowering blood pressure and may be taken once every 6 months. It was presented in the scientific session of the AHA in 2023.

Dr Soham Basak, consultant, cornea department of Disha Eye Hospitals, throws light on the impact of hypertension on the human eye and the imperative steps to deal with this problem.

Hypertensive retinopathy: uncontrolled high blood pressure over a long period of time can cause changes in the blood vessels supplying the retina, or the delicate screen at the back of our eyes. The vessel damage can lead to fluid leakage, edema of the retinal tissues, and sometimes small haemorrhages. This can lead to blurred vision.
Retinal vein and artery occlusion, commonly referred to as strokes of the retina: Hypertension is one of the leading risk factors leading to these conditions. In retinal vein occlusion, there is a rupture of the retinal blood vessels, leading to blood collection in the retina, whereas in retinal artery occlusion, the retina is damaged due to diminished blood circulation. Both need urgent treatment—retinal injections, lasers, and even surgery in rare situations.
Ischemic optic neuropathy: the nerve connecting the eye to the brain is affected in this condition. High blood pressure can lead to reduced blood flow to this nerve, leading to irreversible vision loss.

Hypertension is also responsible for the onset and worsening of diabetic eye disease.
Subconjunctival haemorrhage: sudden changes in blood pressure can cause the delicate vessels of the white of the eye to rupture and leak blood into the surrounding area. This can cause bright redness of the eyes, which is often alarming, but this is a relatively harmless and self-resolving condition. The redness resolves within 2 to 4 weeks with little to no treatment.
Lastly, hypertension is also a risk factor in the progression of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (weakening of the retinal cells due to old age). These are again due to the effect high blood pressure has on altering blood flow to the delicate and microscopic blood vessels of the eye.

The issue of hypertension, or high blood pressure, also has adverse effects on the eyes by causing damage to the blood vessels. The effects can range from something harmless, like a subconjunctival haemorrhage, to something vision-threatening, like a retinal vein occlusion.