Alzheimer's disease: An eye test could provide early warning
In the future, a doctor might be able to tell whether someone is heading toward Alzheimer's disease — not by carrying out expensive brain scans, but during an eye exam.
A new study paper in the journal Ophthalmology Retina outlines research that took place at Duke Eye Center in Durham, NC.
The researchers propose that a loss in density of blood vessels in the retina could suggest development of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers studied more than 200 people with normal brain function as well as individuals with Alzheimer's.
They used a technique called optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), which is noninvasive and can reveal blood flow in every layer of the retina.
In the control group, they found that the web of tiny blood vessels located at the back of the eye was quite dense. The vessels of those with Alzheimer's disease, however, were less dense. In some cases, they were also much more sparse.
Senior study author Dr. Sharon Fekrat, an ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon at Duke Eye Center, notes that they measured blood vessels that are not normally seen during a routine eye exam.
She explains that to do so, they used a noninvasive technology that can take images in a matter of minutes.
"It's possible that these changes in blood vessel density in the retina could mirror what's going on in the tiny blood vessels in the brain, perhaps before we are able to detect any changes in cognition."
-Dr. Sharon Fekrat
They were also able to spot differences between people who had Alzheimer's disease, those who didn't, and those with mild cognitive impairment, which often precedes Alzheimer's.
