In the quiet architecture of the human eye, researchers have found an unexpected sentinel: retinal nerve tissue that thins in response to a troubled heart, sometimes years before the heart's disorder announces itself through symptoms or standard tests. Scientists at University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital, analyzing more than 90,000 retinal scans, have discovered that atrial fibrillation — the world's most common heart rhythm disorder — leaves measurable traces in the eye up to four years before clinical diagnosis. The finding invites us to reconsider where medicine looks for war
Retinal scans may detect atrial fibrillation up to 4 years before diagnosis
Atrial fibrillation substantially raises risk of stroke, heart failure and death; early detection could prevent life-threatening complications.