0000000000025936
AUTHOR
Joachim E. Fischer
A retinal snap shot may indicate individual risk for cardiovascular disease — The MIPH Eye&Health Study
Examination of retinal vasculature can be used to non-invasively quantify changes within the microvasculature of the human body and might be a predictor of cardiovascular disease. This study evaluates associations of the structure of the retinal vasculature with established risk factors for cardiovascular disease.A cross-sectional study was performed in a working age population. Several systemic cardiovascular parameters were analyzed and PROCAM- and SCORE-risk estimates were calculated. A quantitative ophthalmological examination including digital fundus imaging has taken place. Central retinal arterial/venous equivalents (CRAE/CRVE) and arterio-venous ratio (AVR) were analyzed using valid…
Optical coherence tomography-based retinal vessel analysis for the evaluation of hypertensive vasculopathy
Purpose Evaluation of retinal vessels in cardiovascular disease traditionally relies upon funduscopy, but more recently digital photo analysis has expanded the spectrum. As spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows an in-vivo assessment of retinal tissue and its vessels on a histological scale, our study aimed at using this tool for the analysis of the retinal vasculature. Methods Circumferential peripapillary OCT scans (3DOCT-2000; Topcon Inc., Tokyo, Japan), with centration on the optic nerve head, were taken from 20 eyes (20 participants) with normal blood pressure and 20 eyes (20 participants) with arterial hypertension above 120 mmHg (mean blood pressure). The diameter …
Semi-automated retinal vessel analysis in nonmydriatic fundus photography.
Purpose Funduscopic assessment of the retinal vessels may be used to assess the health status of microcirculation and as a component in the evaluation of cardiovascular risk factors. Typically, the evaluation is restricted to morphological appreciation without strict quantification. Our purpose was to develop and validate a software tool for semi-automated quantitative analysis of retinal vasculature in nonmydriatic fundus photography. Methods matlab software was used to develop a semi-automated image recognition and analysis tool for the determination of the arterial–venous (A/V) ratio in the central vessel equivalent on 45° digital fundus photographs. Validity and reproducibility of the r…
Curvature of iris profile in spectral domain optical coherence tomography and dependency to refraction, age and pupil size - the MIPH Eye&Health Study
Purpose Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the anterior segment allows quantitative analysis of the geometry of the iris. We performed spectral domain OCT examinations in healthy emmetropic, hyperopic and myopic subjects to investigate iris curvature and its associations. Methods In a cross-sectional study, out of 4617 eyes (2309 subjects) those with refractive errors of +3 dioptres were identified by objective refraction. The iris was examined using the anterior segment mode of a spectral domain 3D OCT-2000 (Topcon Inc., Japan) in the temporal meridian, and OCT scans were investigated with respect to presence and amount of convex and concave iris configuration. Ninety-three eyes of 50 s…
Associations of cardiovascular risk factors and retinal vessel dimensions at present and their evolution over time in a healthy working population.
Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate whether an association between retinal vessel diameters with blood pressure and other risk factors exists in a healthy working population and whether current risk factors can be used as predictors for retinal vessel changes over time. Methods Retinal photographs and medical data were obtained during a voluntary work health check in 2010 and 2013. The central retinal arterial equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) were assessed using a semi-automated software. Linear regression analysis was carried out to determine associations with systemic parameters and cardiovascular risk factors. Results A total of 1685 participan…
Retinal vessel analysis and heart rate variability
Heart rate variability (HRV) is used to index the vegetative nervous system and is linked with cardiovascular and nervous diseases [1]. Funduscopic assessment of the retinal vasculature can be utilized to evaluate the health status of microcirculation and to assess the predisposition of major vascular diseases [2]. The purpose of this study was, for the first time, to examine the influence of HRV on microcirculation as an early marker of cardiovascular alteration. The study population was comprised of apparently healthy employees of a high-tech company in Germany. The participants spanned the entire age of the work force (18–65 years) and all levels of socioeconomic status. A total of 292 s…