Researchers predict likelihood of eye disease

Researchers in the US have estimated how likely a person is to develop eye and systemic diseases in the future using retinal imaging, genetics and big data.

They found significant associations between the thinning of different retinal layers and increased risk of developing ocular, cardiac, pulmonary, metabolic and neuropsychiatric diseases, and identified genes that are associated with retinal layer thickness.

The study was published in Science Translational Medicine by researchers from Mass Eye and Ear, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Researchers said the study uncovered possibilities for preventative medicine and collaboration between ophthalmologists and other areas of medicine.