Cardiovascular risk score predicts likelihood of developing common eye diseases

New research published in Ophthalmology has examined how an individual’s cardiovascular risk score relates to their chances of developing common eye diseases.

Researchers from UCLA Health analysed the electronic health records of 35,909 adults between the ages of 40 and 79 who participated in the All of Us Research Program between 2009 and 2015.

They calculated a Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) cardiovascular risk score for each individual using information about cholesterol levels, blood pressure, smoking status, and diabetes.

Participants were divided into four different risk categories: low, borderline, intermediate and high. The scientists then tracked who developed eye conditions over the following years.

They found that high-risk individuals were 6.2 times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration, 5.9 times more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy, 4.5 times more likely to develop hypertensive retinopathy, 3.4 times more likely to develop retinal vein occlusion, and 2.3 times more likely to develop glaucoma than individuals in the low-risk group.

The researchers highlighted that the findings suggest a PCE cardiovascular risk score – which is already routinely collected within US primary care settings – could be used to identify patients who may benefit from early ophthalmologic evaluation and prevention strategies.

Senior author, Dr Anne L Coleman, of the Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA Health, highlighted that an advantage of using the PCE cardiovascular risk score is that no extra testing is required.

“We found that a simple score already calculated in millions of doctor visits each year may meaningfully predict who will develop serious eye diseases,” she said.

“This gives us an opportunity to identify high-risk patients early, when preventive measures might still protect their vision,” Coleman shared.