Simple eye test could give insight into how long you have to live

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

A cheap and simple eye test could "open a window" into how long you have to live, according to new research.

Scientists have identified a link between biological aging of the retina and mortality.

The membrane at the back of the eye contains light-sensitive cells that begin deteriorating from middle age.

A study of almost 47,000 Britons found those whose retina was 'older' than their actual years were more likely to die over the next decade.

The discovery could lead to routine screening for a host of life-threatening illnesses - including Alzheimer's.

Corresponding author Dr. Mingguang He, of the Centre for Eye Research Australia, Melbourne, said: "It offers a unique, accessible 'window' to evaluate underlying pathological processes of systemic vascular and neurological diseases associated with increased risks of mortality."

The participants aged 40 to 69 were monitored for an average of 11 years.

Their fundus, or interior surface, of the retina had been scanned for the UK Biobank study.

The international team compared its 'biological age' with a person's chronological age.

Large gaps were associated with 49 to 67 percent higher risks of death from any cause other than cardiovascular disease or cancer.

This was after taking into account potentially influential factors such as high blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), lifestyle and ethnicity.

Dr. He said: "Our novel findings have determined the retinal age gap is an independent predictor of increased mortality risk.

"They suggest that retinal age may be a clinically significant biomarker of ageing."

Each one year increase was associated with a two and three percent rise in the risk of death from any or a specific cause, respectively.

Dr. He said: "This 'retinal age gap' could be used as a screening tool."

It adds to evidence the network of small vessels in the retina are a reliable indicator of the overall health of the body’s circulatory system and brain.

While the risks of illness and death increase with age, it is clear they vary considerably among people of the same age, said the researchers.

Biological aging is unique to the individual and may be a better indicator of current and future health.

They used an advanced type of AI (artificial intelligence) known as 'deep learning' to accurately predict a person's retinal age from images of the fundus.

It overcame similar tissue, cell, chemical and other indicators that are fraught with ethical and privacy issues. They are also invasive, expensive and time-consuming.

Some 19,200 fundus images from the right eyes of 11,052 participants in relatively good health at the initial health check validated the model.

This showed a strong association between predicted retinal age and real age - with an overall accuracy to within three and a half years.

The same process applied to the left eyes produced similar results. Retinal age gap was then assessed in the remaining 35,917 volunteers.

During the study period, 1,871(5%) participants died: 321(17%) of cardiovascular disease; 1018 (54.5%) of cancer; and 532 (28.5%) of other causes including dementia.

The proportions of 'fast agers' - those whose retinas looked older than their real age - with retinal age gaps of more than three, five and ten years were 51, 28, and 4.5 percent, respectively.

Dr. He said previous studies have suggested retinal imaging contains information about cardiovascular risk factors, chronic kidney diseases and systemic biomarkers.

The latest findings back "the hypothesis the retina plays an important role in the aging process and is sensitive to the cumulative damages of aging which increase the mortality risk."

Added Dr. He: "We have developed a deep learning algorithm that can detect footprints of aging in fundus images and predict age with high accuracy.

"Further, we have been the first to demonstrate that the retinal age gap is significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality.

"Our findings suggest the retinal age gap provides novel insights into healthy aging.

"Our work calls for future research into applications of the retinal age gap, and whether retinal age can be used to better understand processes underpinning aging."

The study is published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.