Retinal vessels act as signpost for lacunar stroke

Researchers at the University of Sydney have reported findings that support evidence of an association between retinal microvascular signs and stroke. Professor Richard Lindley said: “In Australia almost 20 percent of strokes are the lucunar subtype, which is caused by small blood vessel disease in the brain.”

Retinal photographs were taken from patients shortly after being admitted to hospital with a stroke. These images were assessed by experts at the Centre for Vision Research in Sydney, and also at the Centre for Eye Research Australia, Melbourne.

Study collaborator and Director of the Westmead Millennium Institute's Vision Research, Professor Paul Mitchell says: “This study is a landmark finding in terms of stroke research, and suggests that eye imaging has an important role, somewhat similar to MRI, in determining what subtypes patients who present with stroke have.”