A revolutionary piece of research has brought to light that an individual’s eyesight may serve as a predictor for the advent of dementia a full dozen years prior to an official clinical confirmation
Pioneered by a team from Loughborough University in England, visual acuity has been pinpointed as a vital early marker for potential cognitive deterioration.
Professor Eef Hogervorst, an expert in Biological Psychology, conveyed the findings from the study
“Our research uncovers that diminished visual acuity can herald the signs of dementia a whole 12 years before its clinical onset.” The study traced the health of 8,623 participants who were initially free of cognitive issues, only to find that at the conclusion of the research, 537 had gone on to develop dementia. Early tests that measured visual reaction times to stimuli on screen indicated that those who eventually were diagnosed with dementia had shown notably slower response rates in comparison to their non-demented counterparts.
The research posits that the amyloid deposits widely associated with Alzheimer’s disease begin to affect regions of the brain responsible for vision before memory-related areas are impacted
According to the study team, troubles with visual tasks—such as discerning contrasts and colors—might sound the alarm for cognitive issues earlier on. Alzheimer’s patients specifically, may witness deficits in controlling eye movements, becoming more susceptible to visual distractions, with Hogervorst explaining, “The difficulty in ignoring distractions possibly augments the probability of vehicular accidents, an aspect that we are currently delving into.”
As dementia advances, communication may also become more challenging
Affected individuals appear to struggle with efficiently processing and recognizing new faces, leading to subsequent difficulties in social contexts. This decline in social visual interaction could be indicative of the broader neurological transformations in the brain.
While eye movements and their potential benefits to memory are explored within the study, Hogervorst indicated that the results have been varied
Nonetheless, she highlighted an intriguing observation: individuals who engaged in higher rates of television viewing and reading showcased superior memory retention and a reduced chance of developing dementia. This suggests a possible link between eye movement during these activities and overall cognitive well-being.
The application of eye-tracking technologies for early diagnosis, though promising, is currently hampered by financial and skill-based barriers
The researchers behind the study encourage the development of eye movement diagnostic tools that are both cost-effective and user-friendly.
