New research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session suggests that artificial intelligence can now spot heart disease risk just by looking at the blood vessels in your eyes. Heart disease is the top cause of death worldwide, yet many people don’t know they are at risk because they don’t see a regular doctor for blood work or blood pressure checks.

“The awareness that someone might be at risk is really one of the key missing pieces,” said Michael V. McConnell, MD, a professor at Stanford University and the study’s lead author. “The image of the back of your eye has a wealth of health information.

McConnell added, “We can analyze these images with AI to help people become aware of their risk and have the opportunity to get guideline-based evaluation and preventive therapy.”

AI Detects Heart Disease Through the Eye

The system, called CLAiR, was tested on 874 people between the ages of 40 and 75. Researchers used standard cameras already found in most eye clinics to take a photo of the back of the eye. The AI then scanned the blood vessels for specific patterns linked to heart disease.

Impressively, the AI was able to identify people with an elevated risk of heart disease or stroke with over 91% accuracy. It matched up very closely with traditional, more invasive tests like cholesterol screenings and blood pressure readings.

“Even just a standard retinal photo provides high resolution imaging of your blood vessels—it’s a literal window into vascular tissue,” McConnell said.

Quick Results For Efficient Care

One of the best things about this technology is how fast it is. While a full physical at a doctor’s office can take an hour or more, the retinal image only takes five minutes. The AI then churns through the data and gives a result in about 30 seconds.

It isn’t meant to replace your regular doctor, but rather to act as a safety net. If you’re at the eye doctor and the AI flags a concern, you can then be referred to a specialist for help.

“This approach would not replace the standard cardiovascular risk evaluation, but it’s a potential way to bring greater awareness, especially for people who should be on preventive care, but who have not yet had a thorough evaluation,” McConnell says. “For patients to benefit, we need to implement clear pathways to connect your elevated risk from your eye exam to help you see your clinician and ultimately get guideline-based preventive therapy.”