Inexpensive Eye Imaging Method May Help Monitor Alzheimer's Progression

A study published in the Journal of Ophthalmic Research found peripheral retinal imaging via ultra-wide field (UWF) technology can visualize changes in the peripheral retina that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases that include Alzheimer's, reports Health Imaging . The researchers captured UWF images of 59 persons with Alzheimer's and 48 healthy participants, and the full cohort was invited for follow-up imaging two years later. It was determined that people with Alzheimer's had an abnormal appearance of yellow drusen deposits that lead to retinal degeneration. In addition, those subjects also had wider blood vessels near their optic nerve, which thinned faster than observed in the control group near the retinal fringe, likely slowing blood flow and hindering nutrient and oxygen to the peripheral retina. University of Edinburgh Professor Craig Ritchie suggests this imaging method could be a simple, fast, and affordable way to monitor eye changes and be used as a tool to easily measure disease progression in the brain.