Certain eye deposits linked to higher stroke odds in older adults
Each additional 20 deposits was linked to 1.02 times the odds of stroke; the association weakened after accounting for smoking.
Our read
Biomarkers- Studied:
- Cross-sectional study of 2,010 adults aged 60 years or older
- What changed:
- Stroke risk was higher for every 20 reticular pseudodrusen lesions (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.04)
- The catch:
- The count of reticular pseudodrusen lesions lacked human validation
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Among 2,010 UK Biobank participants aged 60 or older, 55% of whom were women, a retrospective observational analysis examined eye deposits and stroke history. An artificial intelligence system counted reticular pseudodrusen, a type of deposit at the back of the eye. Retina specialists checked its findings. Stroke histories came from health records and participants’ reports. Seventy participants had a history of stroke.
Higher deposit counts were linked to higher stroke odds after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes, high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat and cholesterol balance. However, the association no longer met the researchers’ statistical threshold after they also accounted for smoking history. Drusen, another type of eye deposit, showed no significant association with stroke. Neither deposit type showed a significant link to heart attack.
Why it matters
Reticular pseudodrusen are part of the age-related macular degeneration spectrum. The authors suggested that assessing cardiovascular risk in people with numerous deposits might be advisable.
Caveats
The analysis concerned a history of stroke; it did not test whether deposit counts predicted future strokes. Participants were 60 or older and 96% were white, and people with late age-related macular degeneration were excluded.
From the paper
- Participants
A total of 2010 subjects were validated by the graders for inclusion in the study.
- Result
Every 20-unit increase in RPD per patient showed a 1.02 OR for stroke (95% CI 1.002 to 1.036 (p=0.028)).
Results, Associations of RPD with major cardiovascular events
- Limitation
First, it is a cross-sectional epidemiological study and, as such, does not establish causality.
Quoted word for word from the full text on PubMed Central.
The paper
Reticular pseudodrusen load is associated with an increased risk of stroke
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
BMJ Open Ophthalmology, Jul 20, 2026, Open access
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