Prevalence and associations of asymptomatic retinal emboli in Latinos: the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES).

Purpose: To study the prevalence and associations of asymptomatic retinal emboli in a cohort of Latinos and to compare these findings with those of previous population studies.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.

Methods: All participants in this study underwent a comprehensive eye examination, including fundus photography. Photographs were graded by trained masked graders. Lifestyle factors and medical history were obtained during extensive interviews. Blood pressure, serum glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin were measured. Age- and gender-specific prevalence rates were calculated. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using stepwise logistic regression analyses to identify independent risk factor associated with asymptomatic retinal emboli.

Results: Photographs gradable for retinal emboli were obtained from 5,959 participants. For all participants, the prevalence of definite asymptomatic retinal emboli was 0.4% (n = 26). Stepwise logistic regression analyses identified smoking (> five pack years; OR, 4.3) and history of coronary artery disease (OR, 2.8) to be associated independently with retinal emboli (P < .05).

Conclusions: We found a lower prevalence of asymptomatic retinal emboli compared with previous population-based studies. This could be secondary to the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES) population being younger, having lower blood pressure, and having fewer smokers than other studies. As in other studies, smoking emerges as the strongest association with retinal emboli.