2024-04-19 16:12:23
Scientists are looking for ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease as early and accurately as possible. Time is important in order to provide the most effective help to a sick person.
It turns out that vision problems that affect a person’s ability to read, write, drive, distinguish colors or judge distances may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
Previous studies have shown that physical changes in the eye, such as damage to the blood vessels, can lead to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and researchers have even sought to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease by scanning the retina of the eye.
Researchers have detected in the retina and the lens of the eye beta amyloid plaques, which are considered one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain.
Now researchers from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom say that loss of visual sensitivity can help detect Alzheimer’s disease 12 years earlier.
The results of the latest study are published in the journal „Scientific Reports“.
What is visual sensitivity?
The researchers included more than 8 thousand people in the study. data from healthy adults.
They all completed tests of visual sensitivity, which allow us to assess the speed of processing visual images and reaction time.
During the computerized test, participants were asked to press a key on the keyboard when they saw a triangle forming in a field of moving dots on the screen.
“Visual sensitivity refers to a person’s ability to accurately and efficiently detect and process visual information,” explained one of the study’s authors, Loughborough University PhD student Ahmet Begde.
“Loss of visual sensitivity can cause various difficulties in perceiving and processing visual information. For example, it is difficult to recognize objects or faces, orient oneself in a familiar environment, and there are also problems when trying to perceive visual details or contrasts,” he explained.
“For example, it may be difficult for a person with reduced visual sensitivity to read street signs while driving,” A. Begde added.
Visual impairments have been linked to an increased risk of developing dementia later in life, he said.
Researchers believe they could develop a test that could detect Alzheimer’s disease up to 12 years earlier than using traditional clinical methods.
Do vision problems always predict dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. According to Dr. Clifford Segil, a neurologist who was not involved in the study, people who do not pass the described test and do not see a triangle of moving dots in the field should seek medical attention.
“Elderly patients with vision and hearing problems are often evaluated for dementia,” C. Segilas said. Nevertheless, he noted that such problems do not always mean impaired cognitive function.
According to a neurologist, patients with hearing loss often ask people to repeat things. This does not necessarily indicate that the patient has dementia and cannot remember things. He probably just didn’t hear what was being said to him the first time.
Similarly, patients with visual impairments often have problems recognizing people and faces. Sometimes this can be resolved with glasses or vision correction surgery.
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2024-04-19 16:12:23