ST. PAUL, Minn. – Looking into our eyes may help doctors predict
who is at risk for stroke. A new study found that people with
changes in the small blood vessels in their eyes are more likely
to later suffer a stroke than people without these signs. The
results held true even after researchers took into account
traditional risk factors for stroke such as smoking and high
blood pressure, according to the study published in the October
11, 2005 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the
American Academy of Neurology. The study involved 3,654
Australians age 49 and older. Researchers took special
photographs of the retina of the eyes of the participants and
examined them for changes suggestive of small blood vessel
damage, or retinopathy. These small vessel changes can be seen
in the early stages of the condition, well before eyesight is
affected. "The blood vessels in the eyes share similar
anatomical characteristics and other characteristics with the
blood vessels in the brain," said Paul Mitchell, MD,