What Your Retina Can Tell . . .

The ophthalmologist looks into your eyes to inspect your retina, and, in particular, she or he will be looking at the blood vessels there. The small arteries (arterioles) and small veins (venules) can tell quite a tale – about your blood pressure, diabetes complications, age-related changes, and so on. After all, there aren’t many places where the doctor can look directly at your blood vessels without opening you up somewhere. A recent discovery concerns the size of the arterioles and venules.

Australian scientists have photographed the retinas of more than 3600 men and women over 49, and measured the arteriolar and venular caliber of the retinal vessels for each subject. (The caliber is the inside diameter of the vessel.) Then they followed the medical history of the volunteers for the next 9 years.

There were114 heart-related deaths in men and 78 in women during the follow-up period. Wider-than-normal venules were linked to coronary heat disease death in both men and women; the mortality risk was doubled in those with wider venules. In women, narrowing of the arterioles was also linked to a 50% increase in coronary deaths.

The lesson: visit your ophthalmologist regularly, and next time she (or he) looks at the back of your eye, ask about the condition of your blood vessels. It may help you make up your mind about doing something for your healthy lifestyle.