Our eyes don’t just help us see the world—they might also help us understand our heart health. A new study from St. George’s University and other research centers found that the tiny blood vessels in the back of the eye, called the retina, can provide important clues about a person’s risk for high blood pressure and heart disease.
The retina has many small blood vessels that can be seen clearly using special cameras and imaging tools. These vessels act like mirrors, showing what’s happening inside our body.
For years, doctors have noticed that certain changes in the size and shape of retinal blood vessels are linked to health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. But it wasn’t fully understood how much of this was due to genetics—until now.
In this new study, nearly 53,000 people from the UK Biobank were studied. Researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to scan and analyze images of their retinas.
The AI helped measure things like the size and shape of the blood vessels quickly and accurately. The scientists then compared this data to each person’s genetic information to see if there were any connections.
They found that certain patterns in the blood vessels, especially how much the arteries twist, were strongly linked to genetics. Out of 119 genetic regions discovered, 89 were related to how twisted the arteries in the retina were.
This twisting pattern was also linked to high diastolic blood pressure, which is the lower number in a blood pressure reading. That number shows the pressure in your arteries when the heart is resting between beats, and high levels can be a sign of future heart trouble.
This means that by simply looking at how twisted the retinal arteries are, doctors might be able to spot early signs of high blood pressure and heart problems. It could become a simple and non-invasive way to identify people at risk before symptoms even show up.
This research goes beyond eye health—it could lead to better treatment and earlier detection of heart problems. If doctors can spot hidden risks just by checking the eyes, people could take steps to improve their heart health earlier in life.
Professor Christopher Owen, who led the study, believes this is an exciting step forward. The study was published in the journal PLOS Genetics and shows how advanced tools like AI and genetic research can work together to discover new ways to keep us healthy.
While more studies are needed, the findings suggest a future where an eye exam might do more than check your vision—it might help save your heart.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that could increase high blood pressure risk, and eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and results showing 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
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