Purpose: To determine the factors cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with retinal vessel diameter, total area, and tortuosity in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).
Methods: Of the 30,097 adults between ages 45 and 85 years old in the CLSA Comprehensive Cohort, 26,076 had at least one retinal image gradable by QUARTZ, a deep-learning algorithm that automatically assessed image quality, distinguished between arterioles and venules, and estimated retinal vessel traits over the entire retina. Questions were asked about demographic, lifestyle, and medical factors.