Several studies have already shown that it is possible to detect early onset of Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease, by studying the vascularization of the retina. A new study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, indicates that the retina could also be a screening tool for the risk of early death.
According to the Australian researchers, the difference between a person’s age and the biological age of their retina, called “retinal age gap” could be an indicator of aging and early death. For their research, they relied on 80,169 fundus images of adults aged 40 to 69 and studied the proportions of “rapid aging”: people whose retina appeared older than their real age, with retinal age gaps of more than 3, 5 and 10 years. “Large retinal age differences in years were significantly associated with 49% to 67% higher risks of death, other than cardiovascular disease or cancer,” the researchers point out.
“This study shows that the retina offers a unique and accessible ‘window’ to assess the pathological processes underlying systemic vascular and neurological diseases that are associated with increased risks of mortality.”
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