Optometrists can greatly contribute to not only ocular but overall wellness of patients.
In some of my past blogs, I discussed that retinal vascular findings may reflect cardiovascular problems through the smaller veins in the eyes. The kidney and the eye are structurally and functionally similar. The diseases of these organs may present similarly and by way of common pathways. Research suggests 3D eye scans can reveal vital clues about kidney health that could help track the progression of kidney disease which could revolutionize the monitoring of kidney disease, which often progresses without symptoms in early stages. The technology has the potential to support diagnosis as current testing cannot detect the condition until kidney function is down to half.
Researchers have found highly magnified images used to detect retinal changes were a non-invasive way to track disease progression. These researchers at Edinburgh University, in the UK reported a link between the findings in the eye on Optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans and renal pathology.
The research team continues to investigate the potential of using OCT imaging to reliably track kidney injury, and monitor treatment responses, As I’ve mentioned in some of my past blogs, optometrists can play a significant role in the overall well-being of their patients, not just the ocular health. The veins in the eyes can reflect cardiovascular problems, and research suggests that 3D eye scans can reveal vital clues about kidney health that could help monitor the progression of kidney disease, which often presents without symptoms in the early stages.
The kidney and the eye share structural and functional similarities, and diseases of these organs may present similarly and through common pathways. Current testing can’t detect kidney disease until half of the kidney function is lost, but highly magnified images used to detect retinal changes can non-invasively track disease progression. Researchers at Edinburgh University in the UK discovered a link between the findings in the eye on OCT scans and renal pathology. The team looked at OCT images from 204 patients at different stages of kidney disease, including transplant patients, alongside 86 healthy volunteers. They found that patients with chronic kidney disease had thinner retinas compared with healthy volunteers.
The research team is continuing to investigate the potential of using OCT imaging to reliably track kidney injury, monitor treatment responses, and predict outcomes in future studies of patients with chronic kidney disease who do not yet require dialysis.
Sources:
www.reviewofoptometry.com
www.sciencedaily.com
www.ophthamalogytimes.com
www.ed.ac.uk
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