AI eye checks can predict heart disease risk in less than minute, finds study

Ophthalmologists may soon be able to carry out cardiovascular screening by checking the retina – without the need for blood tests. Photograph: Zorica Nastasic/Getty Images

An artificial intelligence tool that scans eyes can accurately predict a person’s risk of heart disease in less than a minute, researchers say.

The breakthrough could enable ophthalmologists and other health workers to carry out cardiovascular screening on the high street using a camera – without the need for blood tests or blood pressure checks – according to the world’s largest study of its kind.