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Will Optometrist Soon Be Checking for Heart Disease?
Dec. 12, 2005 – Can cardiovascular disease be
predicted by looking in your eyes? An award winning scientist at the
Centre for Eye Research in Australia says a routine visit to an
Optometrist may soon provide us not only a diagnosis of vision
complications but also a screening for possible heart disease.
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New Study Says Inflammation May Cause AMD
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Nov. 7, 2005 – Chlamydia pneumoniae, a bacterium
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neovascular, or "wet," age-related macular degeneration (AMD), in a
recent study. It was not, however, found in the eyes of more than 20
individuals without AMD, providing more evidence that this disease may
be caused by inflammation. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in baby
boomers and senior citizens over age 55.
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"The idea that the eye is a window to the human
body and can predict other areas of human health has been around for
more than a century," says Professor Tien Wong, who is the winner of the
Prestigious Australian University of Melbourne's Woodward Medal for
Science and Technology.
"But our team has demonstrated this prediction in
precise and quantitative terms, which is important if there is to be
clinical application".
"It is an ambitious goal but our ultimate aim is to
develop a web-based imaging system from which optometrists and
ophthalmologists can upload images which will then be assessed for
retinal markers of future cardiovascular disease," Associate Professor
Wong says.
Associate Professor Wong is currently establishing
a Retinal Vascular Imaging Centre (RetVIC) in Melbourne, Australia. The
Centre collaborates with several teams, including the University of
Melbourne's departments of Ophthalmology and Computer Science and
Software Engineering.
Development of this retinal imaging system follows
from Associate Professor Wong's earlier research, which is the first in
the world to demonstrate that subtle damage to blood vessels in the
retina can predict cardiovascular disease.
Associate Professor Wong's research, using data
collected from three large clinical trials involving over 20,000 people,
demonstrates the link between different changes in retinal blood vessels
and different types of cardiovascular disease.
Professor Wong has authored more than 80 articles
on this subject in the past three years, published in prestigious
journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, the
Journal of American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal.
Associate Wong has received a $2 million Science,
Technology and Innovation Grant from the Victorian State Government to
further develop the retinal imaging technology.
About source:
The Retinal Vascular Imaging Centre (RetVIC) is a
collaboration between Centre for Eye Research Australia, The University
of Melbourne, Baker Medical Research Institute, Diabetes Australia, The
Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, St Vincent's Hospital, Royal
Melbourne Hospital, Centre for Vision Research at the University of
Sydney, International Diabetes Institute, Pfizer Australia, National
Stroke Research Institute and Monash University. Additional support is
provided by: National Heart Foundation of Australia, National Stroke
Foundation, Save Sight Institute at the University of Sydney and BSC
Electronics.
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