Australian scientists are on the verge of devising a simple eye test that will be able to successfully detect the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This discovery is based on the fact that Alzheimer’s is known to affect the eyes of the patient too. Although this revolutionary test is still in its initial stage of testing and has been tried on a handful of people, there is hope that once this test is made available to the public, it will be very helpful. American scientists too are working towards devising an eye test to detect the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
For the study, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation tested the retinal photographs of 126 patients to looks for patterns that would distinguish them from the eyes of healthy individuals. In the photographs it was seen that due to Alzheimer’s the width of the blood vessels of patients was significantly different from those of healthy people. Study of the light sensitive layer at the back of the eyes is an important step in the detection of Alzheimer’s as the health of the eyes has a direct link to brain deterioration.
A lot of hope is being on this eye test because the lack of early detection of mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia makes treatment at later stages very difficult. Early detection of the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s will also help people prepare for its onslaught.
Researchers are also of the opinion that the eye test for Alzheimer’s will also fuel further research and will help in devising newer methods of treatment. This is important considering the fact that in Britain alone the number of dementia patients is set to cross the 1 million mark. Also, only one in three dementia patients receive a proper diagnosis of the disease.
