The clinical assessment of retinal microvascular structure and therapeutic implications.

Examination of the retinal microvasculature is widely used to assess diabetic eye disease and as an indicator of target organ damage in hypertension. The diagnostic value of grading of hypertensive retinopathy is dubious; however, many recent studies have demonstrated that hypertensive retinopathy is associated with a range of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and may predict cardiovascular events independently of blood pressure. Developments in digital imaging and computer-assisted analysis have facilitated the quantitative assessment of microvascular changes in cardiovascular disease. These approaches may be useful for assessing cardiovascular risk and targeting therapeutic intervention.