Damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the retina can be an early sign of disease.
< p>Scientists have found that some visual cues in the retina — tissue located at the back of the eye — can give an idea of human health and show whether there is a risk of premature death.
The discovery of scientists from China and Australia means that it becomes possible for certain markers in gases to predict who is at risk of dying within ten years before obvious signs of ill health appear.
Researchers have said that damage to the nerves and blood vessels of the retina of the eye can be an early sign of the disease.
< p>Scientists have called it «age-related retinal tear». They tested their theory on 19,200 British adults aged 40 to 69.
Retinal age as a biomarker of aging
Those with the biggest retinal age difference of 10 years were 67% more likely to die over the 11-year study period.
The computer was able to accurately predict the participant's chronological age after retinal examination. Then, age-related retinal tear and its association with death were evaluated in about 36,000 volunteers for 11 years. During this time, 5% of people (1871 people) died, most often from cancer.
«These results indicate that retinal age may be a clinically significant biomarker of aging», — write the authors of the study.
It is noted that the retina offers a «unique «window» for evaluation» the main pathological processes of systemic vascular and neurological diseases associated with an increased risk of mortality.
«This hypothesis is supported by previous studies suggesting that retinal imaging provides information on cardiovascular risk factors, chronic kidney disease, and systemic biomarkers», — scientists say.
For example, factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and poor diet are already known to be linked to eye diseases such as macular degeneration.
The study showed that the deceased were most likely «rapidly aging», that is, their retina looked older than its present age, writes The Sun.
What can bad retinal health tell
- if a person's retina is 1 year older than actual age, the risk of death from any cause in the next 11 years increased by 2%;
- the risk of death from a specific cause other than cardiovascular disease or cancer increased by 3% ;
- a greater difference in retinal age in years was significantly associated with a higher risk of death from 49 to 67%, except for cardiovascular disease or cancer.
The study was retrospective, that is, its participants already dead.
New results «add weight to hypothesis» that the retina plays an important role in the aging process and is susceptible to the cumulative damages of aging that increase the risk of mortality, said the team of researchers.
Criticism of the new study
Academy of Ophthalmology clinical representative Dr. Sunir Garg, who was not involved in study of clinicians, told CNN that there is currently no means to accurately determine the age of the human retina.
A professor of ophthalmology at Wills Hospital in Philadelphia spoke of the need to perform larger datasets on more diverse populations.
< p>«But this study highlights that simple, non-invasive eye exams can help us inform patients about their overall health», — Dr. Garg added.