Background: Systemic hypertension is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in India and is a well-recognised cause of retinal vascular changes. Hypertensive retinopathy reflects the severity and chronicity of hypertension, and its timely detection aids in preventing end-organ damage. Objectives: To study the prevalence and pattern of retinal vascular changes in hypertensive patients and to establish a correlation between the degree of systemic hypertension and the grade of hypertensive retinopathy. Methodology: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 12 months at a tertiary care centre in West Bengal. Eighty-six (86) hypertensive patients were selected using purposive sampling after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patients underwent detailed ophthalmic examination including fundoscopy after pupillary dilatation. Blood pressure was recorded and classified as per JNC-8 guidelines. Retinal findings were graded using the Keith-Wagener-Barker (KWB) classification. Results: The majority of subjects were in the age group of 41–50 years (27.9%). Males constituted 58.1% of the study population. Arteriovenous (AV) nipping was the most common retinal finding (60.5%), followed by arterial narrowing (55.8%). Advanced retinopathy (Grade III/IV) was observed in 25.6% of patients. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the severity of hypertension and the grade of retinopathy (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Retinal vascular changes are significantly correlated with the severity and duration of systemic hypertension. Routine fundoscopic examination should be incorporated as a standard of care in the management of all hypertensive patients.

Hypertensive retinopathy, systemic hypertension, retinal vascular changes, fundoscopy, KWB grading, West Bengal