A simple vision test can identify Alzheimer's risk in middle age

University of Otago researchers hope a simple vision test could diagnose the early stages of "old age disease" when people are much younger

Parts of our retinas were once thought to be biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease, but researchers from the University of Otago's Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Group have been investigating the retina's potential for early detection of cognitive changes

Study leader Dr Ashley Barrett-Young said diseases of old age, such as Alzheimer's, are often diagnosed when people start to forget things or behave erratically

"This is usually when the disease has been around for a long time

She said: "In the near future, it is hoped that artificial intelligence will be able to take an image of a person's retina and determine whether he is at risk for Alzheimer's disease long before he develops symptoms, and when treatment is likely to reduce symptoms

The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, analyzed retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) data at age 45 in 865 Dunedin study participants

Dr.

"These findings suggest that the RNFL may be an indicator of overall brain health

"Given that we don't yet have a treatment for advanced Alzheimer's, and the global prevalence of the disease is rising, being able to identify patients at the preclinical stage, when we may still have an opportunity to intervene, it's really true," she said.

Further research is needed to determine whether retinal thinning predicts Alzheimer's disease, or just normal cognitive decline in old age

"In the future, these findings could lead to artificial intelligence being used to take a typical optical coherence tomography scan, done at an optometrist, and combine it with other health data to determine your possible risk of Alzheimer's

References: Ashleigh Barrett-Young, Ph.