How Your Heart and Eyes Might Be Connected

Heart health is a big deal. It's not just about avoiding heart attacks. It's also about keeping your whole body in good shape. The American Heart Association (AHA) has new rules for this. They call it Life's Essential 8 (LE8). It's a list of things you can do to keep your heart healthy. But here's something interesting. Your heart health might also affect your eyes. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a big problem. It's the top cause of vision loss worldwide. And it's getting more common. But no one is quite sure how heart health and eye health are connected. Age is another factor. It's not just about how many years you've lived. It's also about how old your body feels and acts. Scientists use things like phenotypic age (PA) and biological age (BA) to measure this. They want to know if keeping your heart healthy can also protect your eyesight. And if feeling younger can make a difference. But it's not that simple. The body is complex. Many things can affect your health. So, while LE8 might be a good start, it's not the whole picture. Age is just one piece of the puzzle. There's still a lot to learn about how heart health and eye health are connected. In the end, taking care of your heart is important. But it's also important to remember that health is about more than just one thing. It's about how everything in your body works together. And that's what scientists are trying to figure out.