A Study of Nearly 47,000 Adults Reveals that the Retina Holds Key Insights into Your Biological Clock.
If you could know how long you have left to live, would you want to know?
A recent study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology has shown that your eyes may hold the key to your longevity. An international team of researchers discovered a connection between a person’s biological retinal age and their mortality risk.
A Window into Longevity
The retina is the layer at the back of the eye, containing millions of light-sensitive cells (rods and cones) along with other nerve cells that process visual information.
The retina may become an important marker in determining someone’s longevity. (Photo: Yahoo).
A study involving nearly 47,000 adults found that individuals with a retinal age “older” than their actual age are more likely to die in the next decade. This discovery could have profound implications for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Mingguang He from the Australia Eye Research Center, the lead author, stated: “The retina is the only accessible ‘window’ to assess underlying pathological processes in systemic vascular and neurological diseases that are associated with increased mortality risk.”
The researchers tracked participants aged 40 to 69 for an average of 11 years.
Each participant underwent retinal scanning, and the data was recorded in the Biobank, a large-scale biobank and research resource containing in-depth genetic and health information from half a million people in the UK.
The research team compared the “biological age” of each retina with the individual’s lifespan. They found a “retinal age gap” among many volunteers. A larger gap was linked to a higher mortality risk, ranging from 49% to 67% from causes other than cardiovascular disease or cancer.
This result also accounted for potential influencing factors such as high blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), lifestyle habits, and ethnicity.
“Our new findings identify the retinal age gap as an independent predictor of a higher mortality risk, particularly for non-cardiovascular/non-cancer mortality. These findings suggest that retinal age could be an important clinical biomarker of the aging process,” said a representative from the research team.
With each additional year of increased retinal age, the risk of death from any cause increased by 2% to 3% respectively.
This finding adds more evidence that the network of small vessels in the retina is a reliable indicator of overall circulatory and brain health. The risk of disease and death increases with age, but it is clear that these risks vary significantly among individuals of the same age, according to the research group.
A New Biomarker
The study authors utilized advanced AI technology to accurately predict a person’s retinal age from images. This technology differs from similar tissue, cellular, and chemical tests of intrinsic biological aging. Previous technologies faced numerous ethical and privacy issues, and these tests were often invasive, costly, and time-consuming.
The eyes are not just the “windows to the soul” but could also be windows to predicting longevity. (Photo: BBC).
The research team used approximately 19,200 retinal images from the right eye of 11,052 relatively healthy participants. They found a strong correlation between predicted retinal age and actual age, achieving an overall accuracy within 3.5 years.
The same process was applied to the left eye and yielded similar results. The scientists then assessed the retinal age gap in the remaining 35,917 volunteers.
During the study, 1,871 (5%) participants died. Among this group, 321 (17%) died from cardiovascular disease, 1,018 (54.5%) died from cancer, and 532 (28.5%) died from other causes including dementia.
Over 50% of participants classified as “fast agers” (those with retinas appearing older than their actual age) had a retinal age gap of more than 3 years. Additionally, 28% had a 5-year gap and 4.5% had a gap of over 10 years.
This new discovery, combined with previous studies, further supports the “hypothesis that the retina plays a crucial role in the aging process“, Dr. He noted.
The study authors concluded: “Our findings indicate that the retinal age gap may be a latent biological marker of aging, closely related to mortality risk. Retinal imaging has the potential to serve as a screening tool for risk stratification and appropriate intervention measures.”
