eye conditions may increase risk of dementia

the research, published in the british journal of ophthalmology , found that age-related macular degeneration, cataract and diabetes-related eye disease — impairments that reduce the stimulation of visual sensory pathways — may all expedite the advance of dementia. while previous research has hinted at a link between failing vision and the eventual loss of cognitive function, the relationship has been unclear because the prevalence of eye problems increases with age, as do most known risk factors for dementia, including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke and depression.

to investigate whether ophthalmic conditions are related to a higher risk of dementia independent of these systemic factors, researchers pored over the data of 12,364 adults, between the ages of 55 and 73, who were enrolled in the uk biobank study . subjects were assessed between 2006 and 2010 to establish a baseline and then followed until early last year. during the follow-up, which represented 1,263,513 person-years, 2,304 cases of dementia were discovered. data amassed over time revealed that age-related macular degeneration, cataract and diabetes-related eye disease were all independently associated with an increased risk of dementia from any cause.

alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative condition that is believed to be the result of the accumulation of certain proteins in the brain that leads to the slow death of neurons. this process eventually produces symptoms of memory loss, difficulty thinking or problem solving and changes in mood and behaviour. there are over 500,000 canadians living with dementia today, with another 25,000 diagnosed with the progressive disease every year,   according to the alzheimer society . two-thirds of those diagnosed over the age of 65 are women. with the rate at which the disease is growing, it costs over $12-billion a year to care for patients.

dave yasvinski is a writer with  healthing.ca