People with changes in the small blood vessels in their eyes are more likely to have a stroke than people whose eyes are unaffected, according to an Australian study. Furthermore, the results held true even after researchers took into account recognised risk factors for stroke such as smoking and high blood pressure.
Researchers took special photographs of the retina of the eyes of 3,654 participants aged 49 and over and examined them for changes indicating small blood vessel damage, or retinopathy. These small vessel changes can be seen in the early stages of the condition, well before eyesight is affected.
'The blood vessels in the eyes share similar anatomical characteristics and other characteristics with the blood vessels in the brain,' said researcher Paul Mitchell. 'More research needs to be done to confirm these results, but it's exciting to think that this fairly simple procedure could help us predict whether someone will be more likely to have a stroke several years later.'
