by A scan that is part of a routine eye test could help predict the risk of a person within the next 10 years to a heart attack or stroke, according to a study.
The researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze digital retina photos to record images from the background to search for certain conditions.
The technology was able to produce personalized risk predictors in less than a second.
It is to be hoped that one day the simple test can be offered in addition to blood pressure and cholesterol so that doctors can treat patients earlier.
For the study published in the magazine Cardiovascular Diabetology, researchers from the University of Dundee tested the AI software on the eyes of people with type -2 diabetes.
Those with the disease have routine Augent tests to check for diabetic retinopathy, a disease and damage blood sugar in the retina in high blood sugar levels.
Dr. Ify Mordi, British Heart Foundation Research Fellow at the University of Dundee and Cardiologist said: “It can be surprising, but the eyes are a window in the heart.
“If there is damage or narrowing of the blood vessels in the background, there is a good chance that can also be seen in the blood vessels in the body and delivers the heart, which could lead to a heart attack or a stroke.”
Experts pointed out the technology to first search for warning signs in the pictures, e.g.
It was then allowed to search for details in the photographs such as the size or arrangement of blood vessels before they were trained with 4,200 pictures.
The AI tool could predict the people who would have “important cardiovascular events” such as heart attacks or lines within a decade.
Dr. Mordi added: “This is a one-stop scan that is carried out routinely and takes less than a minute.
“It could be an important part of the pack alongside blood pressure and cholesterol tests to identify people who could benefit from drug or lifestyle changes.”
Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The more precisely we can uncover the risk of a heart attack or stroke, the better the possibilities to prevent them.
“Innovations of innovative innovations, such as the use of retina scans besides health tests, could play a role in improving the risk forecast. This is important if we want to achieve the goal of the British Heart Foundation to prevent 125,000 heart attacks and lines in Great Britain by 2035.
