Can an eye exam reveal Alzheimer ’s risk?

Looking for clues about the health of your brain? You might want to pay a visit to your eye doctor. Research increasingly links common eye conditions — glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy — to risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. What’s interesting about the study results, says Dr. Albert Hofman, chair of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is that cataracts, another common age-related eye condition, had no apparent connection to dementia risk. This gives scientists an important clue about the cause of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, he says. “My view, and one of the possible explanations that the authors present, is that these three eye diseases and Alzheimer’s and dementia have a joined etiology” — that is, a common causative factor. “All are linked to cardiovascular disease,” says Dr. Hofman. How are eye conditions linked with cardiovascular disease? Glaucoma is a condition marked by increased pressure in the eye that can lead to vision loss. It has been linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, and poor blood circulation. Age-related macular degeneration involves breakdown of the macula, the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. It has also been linked to heart disease. Diabetic retinopathy occurs in people with diabetes when high levels of blood sugar damage blood vessels in the retina. There are strong links between diabetes and ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Brain and cognitive health Eye Health Source Type: blogs