TEST MAKES EYES THE WINDOW TO THE HEART!
ABREAKTHROUGH eye test can predict the risk of death from heart disease in less than a minute, a new study suggests.
The painless, noninvasive screening combines artificial intelligence (AI) with scans of tiny blood vessels in the retina — the layer of cells in the back of the eye that senses light and sends visual signals to the brain. Researchers at St. George’s University of London developed the fully automated tool dubbed QUARTZ
— which is also known as artificial intelligence–enabled retinal vasculometry or RV — and scanned retinal images from over 88,000 participants aged 40 to 69. The test’s high-tech calculations also took into account known risk factors of the individuals — including age, tobacco usage and high blood pressure — and the team kept tabs on the subjects’ health for up to nine years.
The scientists found QUARTZ’s analysis was as accurate in predicting future cases of deadly cardiovascular disease as traditional clinical assessment models — and correctly forecast even more instances of strokes! Now, researchers hope their discovery will lead to early screening programs, enabling doctors to prescribe drugs and recommend lifestyle changes decades before symptoms surface! “This AI tool could let someone know in 60 seconds or less their level of risk,” says study author Dr. Alicja Rudnicka.
“If their risk was higher than expected, they could be prescribed [cholesterollowering] statins or offered another intervention. It could save lives.” According to the researchers, QUARTZ has the potential for reaching a higher proportion of the population because of its low cost and ease of use.
In a statement, the scientific team notes, “What is needed now is for ophthalmologists, care physicians and computer scientists to work together to design studies to confirm RV improves clinical outcome and enable practical implementation in routine practice.”