• Posted October 28, 2025

Eye Scans Might Help Determine Heart Health Risk, Experts Say

The eyes are the windows to the soul, the old saying goes.

They also might serve as a window into a person’s heart health, a new study adds.

The tiny blood vessels in a person’s eyes can be used to predict their risk of heart disease, as well as whether they’re aging at an accelerated rate, researchers reported Oct. 24 in the journal Science Advances.

Doctors one day might refer to retinal scans as part of a regular check-up, researchers said.

“The eye provides a unique, non-invasive view into the body’s circulatory system,” senior researcher Marie Pigeyre, an associate professor of medicine at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, said in a news release. “Changes in the retinal blood vessels often mirror changes occurring throughout the body's small vessels.”

For the study, researchers analyzed health data from more than 74,000 people participating in one of four major studies.

People with simpler, less branched blood vessels in their eyes had an increased risk of heart disease, the researchers found.

Those folks also showed signs of advanced biological aging, including increased inflammation and shorter lifespan, the study said.

Researchers also found two specific proteins that are linked to inflammation and blood vessel aging.

“By connecting retinal scans, genetics and blood biomarkers, we have uncovered molecular pathways that help explain how aging affects the vascular system,” Pigeyre said.

The proteins — MMP12 and IgG–Fc receptor IIb — might serve as potential targets for future anti-aging drugs.

“Our findings point to potential drug targets for slowing vascular aging, reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases, and ultimately improving lifespan,” Pigeyre said.

More information

The American Heart Association has more about heart disease.

SOURCE: McMaster University, news release, Oct. 24, 2025