Detection of smoking status from retinal images; a Convolutional Neural Network study
15 May 2019

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death globally.
One of the most important risk factors in the development of cardiovascular disease is cigarette smoking. Smoking has both a physiological and anatomical effect on the systemic and retinal circulation. Examining the retinal vasculature with fundus photography provides an exclusive opportunity to directly examine blood vessels non-invasively. Fundus photos can thus be used to identify and monitor the progression of those eye diseases that have a systemic involvement.
Co-Lead Gayl Humphrey and Associate Professor Natalie Walker's research into this has recently been published in Nature Scientific Reports.