Approved Research

Associations of cardiovascular and lifestyle factors with ocular disease

Lay summary

There is an important relationship between heart and eye health. Various cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and obesity have been previously shown to have a relationship with blinding eye conditions such as retinal artery and vein occlusion. There is also growing evidence that these heart conditions may have a role in the development and progression of glaucoma, the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It is still unclear which risk factors play the most important role, and how these eye conditions affect future risk of events such as heart attack and stroke. Our study will utilise the large UK Biobank database to better define these important relationships so that we can develop a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationship between the heart and the eye, leading to better detection, prevention and treatment of these common life and sight-threatening conditions.