Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience Also Included In: Eye Health / Blindness;Alzheimer's / Dementia Article Date: 15 Mar 2012 - 13:00 PDT

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For the study, lead author Dr Mary Haan, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and colleagues, used data from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study and the Site Examination study, two sub-investigations of the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial of Hormone Therapy.

The findings, which they report in the 14 March online issue of Neurology, suggest that a simple eye test could look for early signs of retinopathy, and serve as a marker for cognitive changes linked to vascular disease. This would allow for earlier diagnosis and treatments that potentially reduce the progression of cognitive impairment to dementia.

Retinopathy usually results from Type II diabetes or high blood pressure (hypertension). So an early diagnosis of this eye disease could indicate early stages of these two conditions, allowing for timely changes in lifestyle or drug interventions, when they might have the most impact.

Haan told the press:

"Lots of people who are pre-diabetic or pre-hypertensive develop retinopathy."

Excerpt from:
Eye Disease As Marker Of Brain Health