Eye Tests To Be Used As An Early Tool In Diagnosing Alzheimer’s

A new study conducted by a team of researchers at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology, unveiled the possibility of using simple eye tests in forewarning the development of Alzheimer’s disease in patients. The study led by Professors Francesca Cordeiro and Stephen Moss and published in Cell Death & Disease, was conducted just on mice so far and are yet to be done in humans.

Going by the premise that retina is a direct, although thin, extension of the brain, the researchers used fluorescent markers that attach themselves to the relevant cells and indicate the stage of cell death. The retina is then looked at with a special device- a laser ophthalmoscope. The dying cells in the retina give an indication of dying cells in the brain. This research is the first ever in vivo demonstration of retinal nerve cell death in Alzheimer’s disease.

It is estimated that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias will afflict 35.6 million people in 2010, about 10 percent more than previously estimated because of a higher number of cases in developing countries than doctors realized, researchers said. The percentage of elderly in the Middle East is expected to increase as well, with about 449,667 Alzheimer cases being reported in Saudi, Kuwait and UAE alone.

“The death of nerve cells is the key event in all neurodegenerative disorders – but until now it has not been possible to study cell death in real time. This technique means we should be able to directly observe retinal nerve cell death in patients, which has a number of advantages in terms of effective diagnosis. This could be critically important since identification of the early stages could lead to successful reversal of the disease progression with treatment”, said Professor Cordeiro, of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.

Although this paper outlines the technique in animal models (rats and mice), Professor Cordeiro’s team are further along with work using the same technique to detect and assess glaucoma, and will be conducting their first patient trials later this year. The team hopes that in the future a visit to a high-street optician to check on one’s eyesight will also be a check on the state of one’s brain.

Written by Snigdha Taduri for Biomed-ME