New eye scan detects heart disease in seconds with 80 per cent accuracy
Researchers have developed an eye scan that detects heart disease in about four seconds.
A new scan using polarised light can detect Australia's leading cause of death. The scan looks only at blood vessels at the back of the eye.
The scan takes about four seconds. The scan needs no eye drops and gives results in under 30 seconds.
Eye and heart blood vessels grow from the same tissue. They respond to the same stresses: atherosclerosis, diabetes and high blood pressure.
A 2025 study found important results. A standard eye scan could predict heart attack or stroke risk in the next decade with 70 per cent accuracy.
The technology is non-invasive. It can work in optometrist and GP clinics, making screening easier for people in remote areas.
Researchers are now training artificial intelligence to read the scans automatically.
- 80 per cent for coronary artery disease
- Detection accuracy
- The University of Western Australia
- Research location
Why it mattersThis could catch heart disease early when doctors can still help. It spares people from unnecessary invasive tests.
AustraliaIf trials succeed, rural and remote Australians who live far from hospitals offering heart scans could get the same screening as city residents, and the test would be cheaper than radiation-based calcium scoring.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 h ago
