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Posted on Sep 30, 2002, 6 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
US researchers have found that they can predict whether a person is at increased risk of stroke by taking a picture of the arteries at the back of the eye. Up until now the only non-invasive method by which doctors could test for signs of stroke risk was to take a patient's blood pressure. The researchers tested their technique on more than 10,000 people during a three-and-a-half year long study.
US researchers have found that they can predict whether a person is at increased risk of stroke by taking a picture of the arteries at the back of the eye. Up until now the only non-invasive method by which doctors could test for signs of stroke risk was to take a patient's blood pressure. The researchers tested their technique on more than 10,000 people during a three-and-a-half year long study. Results showed that damage to tiny blood vessels in the back of eye was evident on images taken from the vast majority of people who had later suffered a stroke. Thus, suggesting that such damage may indicate that a person has an increased risk of stroke.
