The study, which was reported in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, has important ramifications that include the ability to do cardiovascular screening without the use of blood tests or to measure blood pressure.
In less than a minute, an artificial intelligence tool can precisely identify a person’s risk of “silent killer” cardiac ailments by scanning their eyes, according to the latest and largest study of its kind.
This innovation will enable medical professionals, such as ophthalmologists, to assess each patient’s risk for stroke, heart attack, and cardiovascular disease. This was accomplished by using AI-enabled imaging to see the veins and arteries within the retina of the eye.
“This AI tool could let someone know in 60 seconds or less their level of risk,” said the study’s lead author, professor Alicja Rudnicka.
Rudnicka believed that early intervention with prescribed statins and other medications may not only improve cardiovascular health but also save lives if a person knew their risk of cardiovascular disease.
According to the study, the fully automated AI-enabled tool called Quartz accesses the retinal vasculature imaging potential as well as recognised risk variables, allowing it to forecast cardiovascular health as well as possible dangers. At least 88,052 photos of individuals aged 40 to 69 from UK Biobank members were scanned using the technology.
According to the article, this model was also used to analyse the retinal scans of 7,411 adults aged 48 to 92 who had taken part in the European prospective investigation into cancer (Epic)-Norfolk trial. The health of each participant was monitored for a minimum of seven to nine years.
The width, vessel area, and degree of curvature of the arteries and veins in the retina were reportedly some of the details that the scientists especially examined. They were able to create prediction models using this data for heart attack, stroke, and circulatory disease death.
Additionally, it was discovered through research that in men, the width, curvature, and width variation of the veins and arteries in the retina were significant indicators of the likelihood of dying from a cardiovascular condition. However, in women, the artery area and width, as well as the variance in vein curvature and width, were significant predictors.
Numerous studies throughout the years have demonstrated that cardiovascular illness, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke are some of the major global killers.
Furthermore, despite the fact that there are tests that can identify risk, they are not always precise in their predictions of who will eventually get heart disease or pass away from it.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
