A simple image of your retina can now reveal whether you will have a heart attack in the next 5 years, thanks to an artificial intelligence model that saves lives before the damage occurs.

In a revolutionary advance in preventive medicine, researchers at the Cambridge Institute of Health have developed an artificial intelligence tool capable of predicting with high accuracy the risk of heart attack up to 5 years in advance .

The system analyzes images of the fundus—retinal scans—to study retinal blood vessels. These structures reflect the state of the entire cardiovascular system, as they share characteristics with the arteries of the heart. Using machine learning, the AI ​​detects micro-changes that the human eye cannot identify.

The results are impressive: the tool has achieved 95% accuracy , surpassing even traditional methods such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or ECG. Furthermore, it can be used with portable devices in rural clinics, pharmacies, or primary care practices.

This model not only predicts heart attacks, but has also shown the ability to anticipate strokes, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes . This marks a turning point in preventive medicine: we've gone from late diagnoses to proactive measures that save lives.