Director Neurosciences I Chief Consultant Neuro and Spine surgeon I Microneurosurgery I 20+ years Exp I Lead SPINE program I IIIM-A alumnus
A simple vision test could detect Alzheimer's up to 12 years before memory loss begins. Yes, there is strong evidence that a simple vision test could detect Alzheimer’s up to 12 years before memory loss begins. Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) to identify early retinal vascular changes associated with the disease. One of the most notable studies, published in the journal Neurology, involved over 8,000 cognitively healthy participants. They took a visual sensitivity test, where they had to press a button as soon as they saw a triangle appear in a field of moving dots. Those who later developed dementia performed significantly worse on the test compared to those who remained healthy. The research suggests that visual impairments could be early indicators of cognitive decline, possibly because the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s may first affect the brain regions tied to vision. In addition, other visual deficits like difficulty distinguishing certain colors or controlling eye movements have also been identified as early signs. For further details, you can check out the full article from the New York Post, which explains the “triangle test” and how it caught Alzheimer’s 12 years early: https://lnkd.in/gNJ9Vf3B This growing body of evidence suggests that vision tests may one day become a standard tool for early Alzheimer’s detection.
