Computer‐assisted retinal vessel measurement in an older population: correlation between right and left eyes

Abstract This study assessed the correlation between computer‐assisted retinal vessel measurements of right and left eyes, from subjects in a defined, community‐based older population. Retinal photographs from participants in the Blue Mountains Eye Study were digitized. All retinal arterioles and venules located 0.5−1.0 disc diameters from the optic disc margin were identified and a computer program measured their diameters. Pearson correlation (R 2 ) statistic was used to assess the correlation in a random subsample of 1546 images. Substantial correlation between right and left eye measurements was found for summary indices of retinal arterioles (R 2 = 0.70) and venules (R 2 = 0.77). Higher correlation was found for intragrader (R 2 0.75−079) than for intergrader assessment (R 2 0.67−0.72). Moderate correlation was found in arteriole‐to‐venule ratio assessed by the same (R 2 = 0.57) or different (R 2 = 0.52) graders. Measurements from one eye can thus adequately represent the retinal vessel diameters of a person.