New research suggests that looking at the blood vessels in the eye (retinal vascular analysis) could be a simple way to predict someone's risk of having a stroke.
Here's a simplified explanation:
What is retinal vascular analysis? It's a way of examining the blood vessels in the retina (the back part of your eye) using a special camera to take pictures (fundus photography). Changes in these blood vessels can indicate health problems, including a risk of stroke.
What did the study find?
Researchers looked at eye scans (fundus images) from over 68,000 people.
They found 29 things about the blood vessels in the eye that were linked to stroke risk.
They followed these people for over 12 years and recorded almost 750 strokes.
They found that looking at the eye's blood vessels could predict stroke risk just as well as traditional tests like checking cholesterol levels.
Why is this important?
It's a simple, non-invasive way to check for stroke risk.
It's especially useful in places where it's hard to do expensive lab tests.
What specific changes in the eye's blood vessels were linked to stroke risk?
Changes in the density (how many blood vessels there are) were linked to a 10-19% increase in stroke risk.
Changes in the caliber (width) of the blood vessels were linked to a 10-14% increase in risk.
Lower complexity and twistedness of the vessels were linked to a 10.5% to almost 20% increase in risk.
What are the advantages of this method?
It's non-invasive (doesn't require needles or surgery).
It's relatively inexpensive.
It uses a common eye exam (fundus photography).
Key Terms:
Stroke: A serious medical condition that happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off.
Retina: The light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye.
Fundus photography: A special type of eye exam that takes pictures of the retina.
Cholesterol: A fatty substance in the blood. High cholesterol is a risk factor for stroke.
Key Facts:
The study used over 68,000 eye scans.
29 different indicators in the eye were linked to stroke risk.
Changes in blood vessel density could increase stroke risk by up to 19%.
The research was conducted by The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.
What are the next steps in research?
Further research to refine the indicators.
Studying different populations.
Looking at the link between eye health and other health conditions.
In simple terms: Scientists have found that looking at pictures of the blood vessels in your eye can help predict your risk of having a stroke. This is a simple, painless, and relatively inexpensive way to identify people who might be at risk.