What might the eyes tell us about aging and cardiovascular risk?

According to researchers at McMaster University and Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), tiny blood vessels in the eyes might be able to predict a person’s risk of developing heart disease and how fast they’re biologically aging.

Published in October 2025 in Sciences Advances, the study suggests that, one day, retinal scans could serve as a non-invasive window into the body’s overall vascular health and biological aging status — offering new opportunities for early detection and intervention.

“By connecting retinal scans, genetics and blood biomarkers, we have uncovered molecular pathways that help explain how aging affects the vascular system,” said Marie Pigeyre, associate professor with McMaster’s Department of Medicine and senior author of the study.

“The eye provides a unique, non-invasive view into the body’s circulatory system. Changes in the retinal blood vessels often mirror changes occurring throughout the body’s small vessels.”

For the study, combined by the researchers were retinal scans, genetic data and blood sample analyses from over 74,000 participants across four major cohorts: the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), the Genetics of Diabetes Audit and Research Tayside Study (GoDARTS), the UK Biobank (UKBB) and the PHRI Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study.

People with simpler, less branched blood vessels were found to show signs of biological aging, such as higher inflammation and shorter lifespan, and be at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Specific proteins that may drive aging and disease were also identified by reviewing blood biomarkers and genetic data. Doing so uncovered not just associations, but potential biological causes behind changes in the eye’s blood vessels.

MMP12 and IgG–Fc receptor IIb — both of which are linked to inflammation and vascular aging — were two of the more notable proteins, proteins that, according to Pigeyre, could be potential targets for future drugs.

“Our findings point to potential drug targets for slowing vascular aging, reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases, and ultimately improving lifespan,” Pigeyre said.

Image credit: iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen