Paying attention to the role of retinal microvascular changes in prognosis and management of systemic microvascular diseases

Being a part of the microcirculatoty system, retinal microvasculature may have similar morphology change as cardio- and cerebro-microvasculature under the pathological conditions.Although no study has proved that there exists causal relationship between retinal microvasculature change and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), realizing their connection is extremely vital for ophthalmologists to evaluate the status of the systemic microcirculation, predict the occurrence of CVD, and proceed primary prevention by visible information of retinal microvascular alteration.In addition, for the patients suffering from retinal vascular occlusion, especially those with undiagnosed systemic diseases like CVD, ignoring systemic examinations may delay proper treatment and lead to the consequences of ill health.In conclusion, ophthalmologists should recognize the association of retinal microvasculature changes with systemic vascular diseases and provide useful information for primary prevention and early diagnosis and treatment of systemic vascular diseases. Key words: Microcirculatory system; Microvessel; Retina; Systemic vascular diseases; Prevention and treatment