Medical News Observer

• Researchers at the University of Edinburgh used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to analyze the retinas of 204 kidney patients and 86 healthy volunteers.
• Findings show choroidal thinning in chronic kidney disease correlates with eGFR decline but improves post-kidney transplant.
• Retinal optical coherence tomography could be a significant, non-invasive tool for monitoring kidney health and aiding the development of new treatments.

Recent research has revealed that 3D eye scans, specifically of the retina, can provide critical insights into kidney health. Using highly magnified retinal 3d images obtained by optical coherence tomography, researchers have discovered a non-invasive method to monitor kidney health.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh. The research analyzed optical coherence tomography images from 204 kidney disease patients at various stages, including transplant patients and 86 healthy volunteers. They observed that patients with chronic kidney disease had choroidal thinning compared to healthy individuals, and this choroidal thinning progressed as kidney function declined. In chronic kidney disease patients, the extent of choroidal thinning correlated with the decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the degree of kidney scarring. Notably, choroidal thinning increased following successful kidney transplants. 

These findings suggest that retinal optical coherence tomography could be a valuable, non-invasive tool for monitoring kidney injury and predicting kidney function decline in chronic kidney disease patients. Additionally, this technology could advance the development of new drug treatments by non-invasive tracking of retinal changes that reflect kidney response to potential therapies. However, further extensive studies and clinical trials are necessary before this method becomes routine.

Ref: Farrah, Tariq E., Dan Pugh, Fiona A. Chapman, Emily Godden, Craig Balmforth, Gabriel C. Oniscu, David J. Webb, et al. 2023. “Choroidal and Retinal Thinning in Chronic Kidney Disease Independently Associate with eGFR Decline and Are Modifiable with Treatment.” Nature Communications 14 (1): 7720. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43125-1.