The eyes don't lie: The quick test that will reveal how old your body really is

Researchers from Seoul National University have developed an AI model that estimates biological age by scanning the retina. The study, published in GeroScience, is based on over 29,000 scans and found that diabetes, smoking, and eye diseases accelerate aging. The model is currently suitable for characterizing trends in populations, not for individual diagnosis.

Researchers from Seoul National University have developed an artificial intelligence model capable of estimating a person's biological age through a simple scan of the retina. The study, published in the journal GeroScience, was based on over 29,000 eye scans, including both healthy and diseased eyes. The technology, called RAG (Retinal Age Gap), leverages the fact that the retina is directly connected to the vascular system, heart, and brain, serving as a window into overall health. The results showed a direct link between lifestyle and accelerated aging: diabetes jumped biological age by 2.52 years, current smoking added half a year, and even former smokers remained with a wear of nearly half a year. Macular degeneration added 0.6 years, and cataracts were linked to an addition of 1.86 years. The researchers emphasize that early detection of a gap between chronological and biological age can help identify hidden diseases, but the model is currently mainly suitable for characterizing trends in broad populations and not for individual diagnosis, as some changes are smaller than the system's margin of error. In the future, they hope to test whether changing habits can rejuvenate the retina.