Retinal scans may flag atrial fibrillation four years before diagnosis
People with atrial fibrillation have signs of the condition in their retinas that can be detected as early as four years before diagnosis, according to a new study led by University College London (UCL) and Moorfields researchers.
A new study reveals that retinal scans may detect atrial fibrillation up to four years prior to diagnosis. Researchers from University College London and Moorfields analyzed retinal imaging data from over 90,000 individuals and found differences in retinal structure between those with atrial fibrillation and those without. Atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder affecting over 1.5 million people in the UK, can lead to stroke, heart failure, and death, often without immediate symptoms.
The study examined optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans and retinal photographs from two datasets, one of which comprised 5,735 individuals already diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Results showed that people with atrial fibrillation consistently had a thinner macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL), a retinal layer critical for vision.
Thinner mGCIPL layers were strongly correlated with atrial fibrillation risk, even when accounting for age, sex, ethnicity, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol use. This suggests that retinal changes could indicate ministrokes in the brain, which are common in atrial fibrillation patients. Dr. Siegfried Wagner, senior author, stated that the findings demonstrate the potential of retinal imaging as a noninvasive, easily accessible method for early atrial fibrillation detection.
While not intended to replace ECG-based diagnosis, retinal imaging could serve as a valuable complement, identifying high-risk patients for closer cardiac assessment and early intervention to reduce stroke risk. The study contributes to the emerging field of oculomics, which explores how high-resolution eye images can predict systemic diseases such as AMD, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.
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