Page 134 - Ageing and Dementia: A compendium of New Zealand research literature

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND POSTERS ON AGEING AND DEMENTIAS 117
Chang, L. (2013,June). Alzheimer’s disease in the human eye – molecular evidence and the role of
optometry in prospective clinical application. Paper presented at Symposium of the Biomedical
Research Centre, University of Valparaiso, Chile
ABSTRACT
Optometrists as primary eye care providers have been involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and co-
management of many ocular conditions, some secondary to systemic health problems. The role of
optometry has expanded over the years, and become more recognized for the provision of healthcare,
for example, liaising with family doctors and public hospitals for the photo-screening of diabetic
retinopathy. What are the possibilities of diagnosing other systemic conditions by looking at the eyes?
More specifically, is it possible to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD) through the eyes? AD is the most
common form of dementia with progressive deterioration of memory and cognition. Complaints related
to vision are common among AD patients, and over the years researchers have investigated the cause of
these visual complaints. Various groups have reported molecular evidence of AD in the eyes of
transgenic animals. In humans, several changes in the retina, lens and in the vasculature have been
noted in the eyes of AD patients, which may be related to the visual symptoms. The question still
remains whether anatomical changes may be detected within the eye before clinical diagnosis for AD is
established. We are searching for candidate ocular biomarkers that could enable diagnosis of AD
through the detection of abnormal changes in ocular anatomy and function.