The association between atrial fibrillation and the eye

Long before doctors catch it on an electrocardiogram (ECG), atrial fibrillation (AF) appears to leave a mark inside the eye. A new study in PLOS Digital Health, led by Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, found that people with AF have measurably different retinas, and these changes can show up as long as 4 years before the heart condition is diagnosed. Drawing on retinal scans from over 90,000 people, the researchers identified a clear structural signature that separates patients with AF from those who are unaffected, according to a press release issued by INSIGHT and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.