Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41491536›Full record

ArticleEye and vision (London, England)2026

Postural changes in retinal vascular parameters and risk of diabetic retinopathy progression in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a pilot study.

Truong X Nguyen, Yu Meng Wang, Anni Ling, Chunwen Zheng, Kenny H W Lai, Ziqi Tang, John H K Liu, Carol Y Cheung

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Eye and vision (London, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Truong X NguyenDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Jiulong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Yu Meng WangDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Jiulong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Anni LingDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Jiulong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Chunwen ZhengDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Jiulong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Kenny H W LaiC-MER International Eye Care Group, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Ziqi TangDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Jiulong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
John H K LiuViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Carol Y CheungDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Jiulong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. carolcheung@cuhk.edu.hk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9672-1819

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo investigate whether postural changes in retinal vascular parameters, measured using smartphone-based imaging, differ between healthy individuals and patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), and whether these changes independently predict diabetic retinopathy (DR) progression over a 5-year period.

methodsRetinal images were captured using a smartphone with a clip-on adapter lens in sitting and supine positions. Vascular parameters (caliber, fractal dimension, tortuosity, branching) were quantified using the Singapore I Vessel Assessment software. Cross-sectional analyses compared postural-induced vascular responses between 38 healthy controls and 49 DM participants. DM participants were followed for 5 years, with DR progression defined as ≥ 2-step increase in severity on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study scale. Cox proportional hazards models evaluated associations between baseline postural changes and DR progression.

resultsHealthy controls exhibited significant arteriolar and venular constriction upon moving from sitting to supine (P < 0.05). In contrast, participants with DM showed diminished or paradoxical responses that did not reach statistical significance. Significant linear trends were observed for arteriolar caliber, fractal dimension, and simple tortuosity across healthy controls, DM with and without DR (all P-trend < 0.05). Greater arteriolar tortuosity was associated with a 2.41-fold higher risk of DR progression (HR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.37-4.23; P = 0.002), while wider venular branching angles correlated with a 45% lower risk (HR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.35-0.87; P = 0.011). Adding these parameters improved predictive discrimination beyond established factors (arteriolar tortuosity: C-statistic 0.630-0.740; venular branching angle: 0.630-0.683; P < 0.05).

conclusionsSmartphone-based imaging of retinal vascular responses to postural changes provides additional prognostic value for DR progression, potentially enhancing early risk stratification and proactive management.

Indexed as

Diabetes mellitusDiabetic retinopathyPostural changeRetinal vesselsSmartphone fundus imaging

Identifiers

PMID41491536
PMCPMC12772113

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.