New retinal imaging camera installed for research into early detection of vascular risk

Part of his award includes the installation of a new retinal camera that we hope will make it easier to study mechanisms leading to cerebral small vessel disease (SVD).

Previous work by the SVD group and the Row Fogo Centre suggests that SVD is related to a failure of small blood vessels widening properly, which allows blood flow to parts of the brain that need it.

This work has relied on participants breathing in extra carbon dioxide (CO2) while images are taken of the brain and retina, to test how well the blood vessels can widen. Although this method works well, it isn’t easy to do outside of specialist research centres.

The Imedos Dynamic Analyzer can measure the ability of blood vessels to widen without the need for breathing special gasses. Instead, it measures how well retinal blood vessels widen in response to light shining into the eye.

Hopefully this new imaging technique will provide similar information, but in a way that is quicker and easier for people, which can also be used in larger numbers of people and in more locations. This should make it simpler to study SVD, and hopefully also learn more quickly whether new treatments for SVD are working to improve blood vessel widening.