How doctors may be able to predict your stroke risk through your eye

ISLAMABAD: Changes in the eyes can offer valuable insights into other health issues in the body, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. A new study has identified a set of 29 vascular health markers in the retina, forming a “fingerprint” that can help predict an individual’s stroke risk. Researchers believe this method offers a less invasive way to assess stroke risk compared to traditional tests.

While some may say the eyes are a window to the soul, doctors have long understood that they can also provide a glimpse into a person’s overall health.Minister’s Comments Regarding KE’s MYT Stir Controversy

“The retina is one of the few places in the body where blood vessels can be directly observed non-invasively. Changes in the retinal blood vessels can indicate systemic vascular conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis,” said Mingguang He, MD, PhD, Chair Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology at the School of Optometry and director of the Research Centre for SHARP Vision at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, speaking to Medical News Today.

He is the lead author of a recent study published in the journal Heart, which found that a vascular “fingerprint” in the retina might also be able to predict stroke risk in a less invasive way than traditional methods.

To conduct this study, researchers analyzed retinal images from over 45,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank study to identify measurable biomarker indicators in the retinal blood vessels.

Upon analyzing the data, scientists found 118 measurable retinal vascular indicators, 29 of which were strongly linked to an individual’s first-time stroke risk, forming a vascular “fingerprint.”

“The vascular ‘fingerprint’ on the retina refers to unique patterns or parameters in an individual’s retina,” He explained. “By analyzing these fingerprints across populations, we can identify trends and risk factors related to stroke.”

Seventeen of the 29 indicators were related to density. Researchers discovered that each change in these indicators was associated with a 10-19% increased risk of stroke. Changes to the three caliber indicators in the “fingerprint” were linked to a 10-14% higher stroke risk. Alterations in complexity and twistedness indicators correlated with a 10.5-19.5% increased risk of stroke.