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Heart Disease Predicted from Eyes

by Medindia Content Team on Jun 9 2006 2:07 PM

A Melbourne scientist has been awarded a national prize for developing an imaging technique, which can measure changes in blood vessels in the eyes that would help identify people at risk of heart disease .

Professor Tien Wong, from the University of Melbourne's Center for Eye Research, received the $50,000 Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research at the Australian Society of Medical Research (ASMR) during dinner in Melbourne.

Professor Wong and his team have studied the eyes of over 20,000 patients through a period of five years and developed an imaging technique, which measures the narrowing of minute blood vessels.

According to Professor Wong, ‘Changes in blood vessels in the eye may identify people who may be at risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

‘These conditions and the most common cause of death, disability and hospitalisation in Australia and worldwide and therefore, the potential impact of this research is timely and significant.’


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