[Limited value of ophthalmoscopy in arterial hypertension].

The background for the ophthalmoscopic classification of retinal changes in arterial hypertension, hypertensive retinopathy grade I-IV is summarised. It is concluded that ophthalmoscopy has no significance for the diagnosis and treatment of arterial hypertension in persons older than 40-50 years. In future, computerized image analysis of digital images of the retina might be used as a marker of cardiovascular and other systemic risk factors. However, this epidemiological tool has no predictive value for the individual patient. Hopefully, this paper may contribute to a limited number of superfluous referrals for ophthalmological examinations.