Medical marvel: Eye test may predict Alzheimer’s risk 20 years in advance

According to a new study, an eye test can predict Alzheimer’s disease two decades prior to symptoms emerging.

Good news! Now an eye test can predict Alzheimer’s disease two decades prior to symptoms emerging, claims a new study.

Comparing their results to brain scans, the eye test was just as successful at spotting those with twice the amount of plaque build-up in their brains. According to experts this is the first sign of a cost-effective and non-invasive test. The study’s senior lead author Dr Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui from Cedars-Sinai said that the findings suggested that the retina may serve as a reliable source for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis.

“One of the major advantages of analysing the retina is the repeatability, which allows us to monitor patients and potentially the progression of their disease,” Koronyo-Hamaoui added.

The Cedars-Sinai research team collaborated with investigators at NeuroVision Imaging, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, University of Southern California, and UCLA to translate their non-invasive eye screening approach to humans. They conducted a clinical trial on 16 AD patients, who drank a solution that includes curcumin, a natural component of the spice turmeric. The curcumin causes amyloid plaque in the retina to “light up” and be detected by the scan. The patients were then compared to a group of younger, cognitively healthy individuals.

They found their results were as accurate as those found via standard invasive methods. Yosef Koronyo, a research associate in the Department of Neurosurgery, said another key finding from the new study was the discovery of amyloid plaques in previously overlooked peripheral regions of the retina.

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