Posted on 01/04/2026 8:38:12 PM PST by ConservativeMind
The Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) cardiovascular risk score stratifies risk for multiple ocular diseases, according to a study.
Deyu Sun, Ph.D. and colleagues conducted a historical prospective cohort study using electronic health record data from the "All of Us" Research Program to examine whether the PCE cardiovascular risk score is associated with future age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and hypertensive retinopathy (HTR).
A total of 35,909 adults aged 40 to 79 years with complete variables for PCE calculation within a six-month period were included in the study. Individual-level PCE score was classified into four risk categories.
The researchers observed significant associations for higher PCE risk categories with an increased risk for ocular diseases. Compared with the low-risk group, the high-risk group had the highest hazard ratios for AMD, DR, glaucoma, RVO, and HTR in the primary models, adjusted for race, body mass index, chronic kidney disease, and education (hazard ratios, 6.22, 5.93, 2.33, 3.38, and 4.47, respectively).
AMD, DR, and HTR had the highest adjusted C-indices (0.72, 0.751, and 0.768, respectively), while moderate C-indices were seen for glaucoma and RVO (0.625 and 0.654, respectively). The PCE-AMD association was mainly explained by age in component-adjustment sensitivity models, while associations for DR and HTR remained robust.
"These findings support the potential value of applying PCE in primary care to identify at-risk individuals for ocular diseases and facilitate earlier preventive strategies," the authors write.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Please do whatever you can to reduce your cardio issues and get your cardio and eyes checked and treated for whatever you can’t do from your side.
However, what you do to yourself, outside of doctors, can make a world of difference drugs can’t touch.
“Please do whatever you can to reduce your cardio issues and get your cardio and eyes checked and treated for whatever you can’t do from your side.”
I’ll just add a bit for you Medicare types. Assuming you’re in Traditional Medicare, you can go to a Retina specialist for a check-up without having to ‘ask permission’ (and if you have a good supplement plan, it also won’t cost you anything to speak of), so doing that once in a while is probably a good idea too, as they may catch a problem sneaking up on you.
P.S., if you’re in a Part C, Medicare Advantage, situation, you’ll likely be denied for a check-up unless you’re in a high-risk group (such as being diabetic).
Major companies that make Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems include Epic, Oracle Health (Cerner), MEDITECH, eClinicalWorks, and athenahealth, serving different market segments from large hospital systems to small practices, with other notable providers like NextGen Healthcare, Allscripts (Veradigm), and specialty-focused options also existing. These vendors offer diverse solutions, from comprehensive enterprise systems to cloud-based platforms, often specializing for particular settings like hospitals, ambulatory clinics, or behavioral health. Also CPSI. Always wanted to run a SVM to analyze data.
When my optometrist was scanning my eyes for glasses last year - he said he could see I either had diabetes or high blood pressure and needed to get to my doctor ASAP.
Which I did - turned out to be high blood pressure - so high I was one point off from being sent to the ER - had no idea, but should know b/c hypertension is genetic in my family, along with heart attacks and strokes. Not a one of us are overweight.
All under control now - but it is the eye doctor that caught it.
You are a fortunate person.
You have to keep that in check. Diet (especially) and exercise can still help.
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