Canadian researchers have found that scanning the tiny blood vessels in the eyes may help predict a person’s risk of developing heart disease and how fast they’re biologically ageing.
The study, published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that retinal scans could one day serve as a noninvasive window into the body’s overall vascular health and biological ageing status, offering new opportunities for early detection and intervention.
“By connecting retinal scans, genetics, and blood biomarkers, we have uncovered molecular pathways that help explain how aging affects the vascular system,” said Marie Pigeyre, Associate Professor at McMaster University’s Department of Medicine in Canada.
“The eye provides a unique, noninvasive view into the body’s circulatory system. Changes in the retinal blood vessels often mirror changes occurring throughout the body’s small vessels,” added Pigeyre.
To conduct the study, the team combined retinal scans, genetic data, and blood sample analyses from over 74,000 participants.
People with simpler, less branched blood vessels were found to be at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and showed signs of biological ageing, such as higher inflammation and shorter lifespan.
Currently, assessing age-related diseases like heart disease, stroke, and dementia requires multiple tests.
The hope is that retinal scans alone could eventually be used as a quick, accessible way to assess ageing and cardiovascular risk. However, more research is needed.
The team also reviewed blood biomarkers and genetic data and identified potential biological causes behind changes in the eye’s blood vessels.
This helped them identify specific proteins that may drive ageing and disease – MMP12 and IgG-Fc receptor IIb.
Both proteins are linked to inflammation and vascular ageing. According to Pigeyre, these proteins could be potential targets for future drugs.
“Our findings point to potential drug targets for slowing vascular ageing, reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases, and ultimately improving lifespan,” she said. (IANS)
