Research on Features of Retinal Images Associated with Hypertension and Diabetes

In order to discuss the feasibility of detecting hypertension and diabetes using certain features of retinal images, this paper compared features of twenty-six retinal images from three groups, normotensive, hypertension and diabetes. Those features including exudates, bifurcation angle, artery-to-veins diameter ratio, mean artery and vein diameters, shape and size of optic disc, and vessel tortuosity. The results show that in retinal images of hypertension and diabetes, exudates appeared, and the area increased with years of illness. The mean arterial diameter tended to decrease while the mean vein diameter dilated. Compared to the normotensive group, the artery-to-vein diameter ratio decreased for both the hypertensive and diabetic group. The shape and size changes of the optic disc were obvious in the diabetic group. The hypertensive group showed tortuous blood vessels. No tortuous blood vessels were observed in the diabetic group. The study demonstrates that, expect the bifurcation angles, it is unfeasible to use retinal image features in the detection of hypertension and diabetes, but they do have some meaning in clinic diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes since some characteristics of retinal images of those patients become pathologically changed