In a recent study published in the journal PLOS Digital Health, researchers evaluated whether "RetiAGE," an AI-derived probability score, could help address limitations in current osteoporosis risk-screening approaches.
This model uses estimates of retinal biological age as a potential marker of systemic skeletal health.
The model was subsequently used to predict skeletal health in two large, ethnically distinct cohorts: the Singaporean PIONEER study (n = 1,965) and the UK Biobank (n = 43,938).
Model output indicated that older retinal biological age is inversely associated with bone mineral density (BMD) and independently predicts incident osteoporosis.
These findings posit RetiAGE as a non-invasive, low-cost candidate for "opportunistic" screening, in which a routine visit to the optometrist could eventually double as an early-warning system for bone health, helping identify people who may warrant formal osteoporosis assessment before a fracture occurs.
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