Eye Exams Can Help Predict Heart Trouble

When the doctor looks into the back of your eye, she (or he) is looking for any disease of the retina, called retinopathy. Two of the main conditions that can be seen in the eye are signs of high blood pressure and diabetes. But one can add a third condition – the possible warning of congestive heart failure.

Australian researchers followed 11,000 people aged 49 to 73 for 7 years, using photographs of their retinas. They looked for a link between retinopathy and the occurrence of congestive heart failure, and found one. After corrections for age, sex, race, existing coronary heart disease, blood pressure diabetes, cholesterol, smoking status, and body mass index, they found a 2-fold higher risk of congestive heart failure in the people with retinopathy. And if the subjects didn’t have any coronary disease, diabetes, or raised blood pressure, the risk for heart failure was 3 times higher. So if your eye doctor finds something in your retina, suggest they refer you to a cardiologist.