{"id":17908,"date":"2021-10-14T06:52:42","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T06:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=17908"},"modified":"2021-10-14T06:52:42","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T06:52:42","slug":"can-an-eye-exam-detect-early-alzheimers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/eye-exams\/can-an-eye-exam-detect-early-alzheimers\/","title":{"rendered":"Can an Eye Exam Detect Early Alzheimer\u2019s?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>One in nine people age 65 or older (11.3%) has Alzheimer&#8217;s dementia.<\/b><\/h2>\n<h2><b>What is Alzheimers?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Alzheimer&#8217;s disease has a far-reaching impact that extends beyond the patient. It affects family and friends, and strains the healthcare system.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Alzheimer\u2019s disease is the #1 type of dementia<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Alzheimer\u2019s disease involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Alzheimer\u2019s a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The cost of treating patients with Alzheimer\u2019s and other forms of dementia is projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2050.<\/p>\n<p>Diagnostic procedures to detect early indications\u00a0 of the disease are critical\u00a0 \u2014 at the very least, to give patients and their families time to prepare for possible scenarios.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Can your eyes help detect Alzheimer\u2019s?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>According to a study published in <i>Ophthalmology Retina<\/i> (2019) conducted by the Duke Eye Center, a new, non-invasive imaging technology can detect indicators of Alzheimer&#8217;s disease in a matter of seconds.<\/p>\n<p><b>The researchers discovered that in Alzheimer&#8217;s patients, the tiny blood vessels in the retina change in appearance.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>They also demonstrated that they can tell the difference between those with Alzheimer&#8217;s disease and those with mild cognitive impairment.<\/p>\n<p>This study is the largest to date, and it adds to the current literature as scientists try to identify a rapid, noninvasive and low-cost way to diagnose Alzheimer&#8217;s disease in its early stages.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/eye-exams\/the-importance-of-pupil-exams\/\">The Importance of Pupil Exams<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>If you, or a loved one are showing signs of Alzheimer&#8217;s, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you<\/a> for a retinal scan.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Retinal scans and Alzheimer\u2019s<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), a new type of precise and non-invasive imaging, has facilitated much of the current research\u00a0 into the impact of Alzheimer&#8217;s disease on the eyes.<\/p>\n<p>OCTA allows doctors to see the tiniest blood vessels at the back of the eye, which are as thin as a human hair.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers believe that because the retina is an extension of the brain and shares many similarities with it, deterioration in the retina may mimic changes in the brain&#8217;s blood vessels, providing a window into the disease process.<\/p>\n<p>In the Duke study, the retinas of\u00a0 Alzheimer&#8217;s patients, people with mild cognitive impairment, and cognitively healthy adults were compared using OCTA.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers determined that the disparities in blood vessel density between the control and Alzheimer&#8217;s group were statistically significant.<\/p>\n<p><b>The Alzheimer&#8217;s group had a significant deterioration in the health of retinal blood vessels.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>How this study helps for the future<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Alzheimer&#8217;s disease is difficult to diagnose. Although certain techniques can detect disease symptoms, they are impractical for screening millions of people: Brain scans are costly, and spinal taps are painful and potentially dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, memory tests or behavioral abnormalities are frequently used to diagnose the condition, but the disease has progressed by the time these changes are observed.<\/p>\n<p><b>Perhaps retinal scans can show the early signs of Alzheimer&#8217;s.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Patients and their families would have more time to plan for the future if they were diagnosed earlier.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/\">Guide to Eye Exams<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you<\/a> who can provide a retinal scan.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>Alzheimer&#8217;s impacts the lives of over 11% of people over the age of 65.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Retinal scans could allow for early detection as treatments may be more effective if started at the first signs of the disease.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One in nine people age 65 or older (11.3%) has Alzheimer&#8217;s dementia. What is Alzheimers? Alzheimer&#8217;s disease has a far-reaching impact that extends beyond the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1206,"featured_media":17909,"parent":304,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17908","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Can an Eye Exam Detect Early Alzheimer\u2019s? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/eye-exams\/can-an-eye-exam-detect-early-alzheimers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can an Eye Exam Detect Early Alzheimer\u2019s? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One in nine people age 65 or older (11.3%) has Alzheimer&#8217;s dementia. 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