Eye tests could now reveal much more than we think…

Regular eye tests can help foresee future problems that otherwise could go undetected, and even untreated. At present, such diseases that are routinely tested for include diabetes and glaucoma but now, early research indicates eye tests may be able to detect the early signs of Alzheimer’s decades before symptoms arise.

The eye test aims to identify if beta-amyloid plaque ( a sign of Alzheimer’s ) has accumulated on the brain. As cited on wired.co.uk, Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s Society, said the tests could be a “game changer” for the future of research. “These studies provide proof of principle that scanning the eye for amyloid could give us insight about what is going on in the brain,” he said. “However as they are only preliminary studies, the eye scans will need further validation before they could be used on people with dementia?

With Alzheimers currently proving difficult and problematic to diagnose, we look forward to tracking the development and progression of this research to keep our blog readers up to date with any further news.

For more information and support on Alzheimer’s, visit the Alzheimer’s Organisation here.