19/08/2026
👁️ WHAT CAN YOUR RETINA REVEAL ABOUT YOUR HEART HEALTH?
A 68-year-old gentleman recently underwent an AI retinal screening at Focus Optometry.
He has a medical history of hypertension, glaucoma and a previous coronary stent, and his blood pressure is currently being managed with medication.
The screening detected retinal arterial atherosclerosis in both eyes, with changes in the retinal blood vessels including reduced arterio-venous ratios.
What does this mean?
The retina contains tiny blood vessels that can be observed directly during an eye examination.
When these vessels show changes associated with arterial narrowing or atherosclerosis, it can be a useful early warning sign of long-term vascular stress.
However, an important point:
A retinal scan does NOT directly measure the amount of plaque in the heart or coronary arteries.
Instead, it gives us a valuable window into the condition of the small blood vessels in the retina. When combined with a patient's medical history, it can remind us to take cardiovascular risk factors seriously.
❤️ The encouraging findings
The screening did not detect:
• Moderate or severe diabetic retinopathy
• Retinal haemorrhage
• Retinal exudation
• Drusen
And no medical treatment for the retinal findings was recommended at this time, with regular follow-up advised.
So what can he do from here?
Early detection is valuable because it gives us an opportunity to control the factors that can contribute to further vascular damage.
🚶♂️ 1. Exercise regularly
For an older adult with cardiovascular history, suitable activities may include:
• Brisk walking
• Easy cycling
• Swimming
• Low-impact aerobic exercise
• Light resistance/strength training
• Balance and flexibility exercises
A reasonable goal is around 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, gradually building up according to fitness and medical advice.
Because this gentleman has a history of coronary stenting, vigorous exercise should be discussed with his doctor/cardiologist first, particularly if he experiences chest discomfort, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or palpitations.
🥗 2. Eat for your arteries
Choose more:
🥬 Vegetables — leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots
🍎 Fruits — berries, apples, oranges, guava, papaya
🌾 Whole grains — oats, brown rice, wholemeal bread
🐟 Fish — salmon, sardines, mackerel and other oily fish
🫘 Plant proteins — beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu and tempeh
🥜 Nuts — almonds, walnuts and other unsalted nuts
🫒 Healthy fats — olive oil, canola oil and other unsaturated fats
Try to reduce:
❌ Processed meats such as sausages, ham and luncheon meat
❌ Deep-fried foods
❌ Very salty foods and excessive sauces
❌ Foods high in saturated fat
❌ Sugary drinks and excessive desserts
❌ Highly processed foods
For Malaysian meals, this can mean choosing brown rice + fish + vegetables more often, and having foods such as nasi lemak, char kway teow, fried noodles, fried chicken and heavily salted dishes less frequently.
💊 3. Don't stop prescribed medication
Blood pressure and cholesterol control are extremely important in someone with established cardiovascular disease.
Continue medications exactly as prescribed and have blood pressure, cholesterol and other cardiovascular risk factors reviewed regularly by the treating doctor.
👁️ 4. Keep monitoring the eyes
The retina is not only about eyesight.
Sometimes, what we see in the small blood vessels can give us another reason to look more closely at overall health.
This is why regular retinal screening can be valuable — especially for people with hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or increasing age.
Early detection doesn't mean something terrible has already happened.
It means we have an opportunity to pay attention, investigate further when appropriate, and make better decisions earlier.
❤️ Protect your heart.
👁️ Protect your vision.
🥗 Eat for your arteries.
🚶♂️ Keep moving.
💊 Control your risk factors.
Your eyes can be a window into your health.
AI retinal screening is a screening tool and does not diagnose coronary artery plaque or replace examination by a medical doctor/cardiologist. Results should be interpreted together with medical history and professional clinical assessment.
