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Retinal imaging technology may help diagnose Alzheimer's dementia
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LONDON — A study conducted by Optos found that retinal images may help diagnose Alzheimer's dementia, according to a press release from the company.
The study included 102 subjects, of whom 56 had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia and 46 were age-matched controls. The subjects underwent retinal imaging with optomap to confirm the presence of drusen.
Researchers found a highly significant association between Alzheimer's dementia and peripheral small, hard drusen formation, which suggests that monitoring the periphery of the retina could be helpful in diagnosing and monitoring Alzheimer's dementia progression, according to the release.
Further study is planned to determine whether peripheral hard drusen can "act as a surrogate marker for plaque development in the central nervous system," the release said.
The study results were reported at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.