Alzheimer's can be diagnosed after eye doctor visit - key sign to look out for
Experts have revealed that one visual symptom can help doctors predict Alzheimer's disease.
A team led by UC San Francisco has identified several visual symptoms linked to a degenerative visual condition found in Alzheimer's patients. Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), also known as Benson's syndrome, often signals the onset of Alzheimer's disease. It can be diagnosed by an eye doctor if they know what to look for. Symptoms include trouble with spatial judgment, difficulty identifying movement, and problems performing everyday tasks.
Despite normal eye exams, this disorder is often missed. The researchers aimed to "improve PCA characterization and recommendations." The study, published in Lancet Neurology, involved data from over 1,000 patients across 36 sites in 16 countries. It focused on a lesser-known aspect of Alzheimer's that affects visual processing.
The researchers found that PCA overwhelmingly predicts Alzheimer's. Some 94 percent of PCA patients had Alzheimer's symptoms or a diagnosis, while the remaining 6 percent had conditions like Lewy body disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
General thinking skills aren't usually affected early in PCA, but mild dementia symptoms often show up by the time patients are diagnosed. This is typically nearly four years after symptoms first appear. The average age of PCA onset is 59, which is younger than when memory symptoms linked to it start showing, making diagnosis tricky. Dr. Marianne Chapleau from UCSF's Department of Neurology emphasised the need for better diagnostic tools for PCA.
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"Most patients see their optometrist when they start experiencing visual symptoms and may be referred to an ophthalmologist who may also fail to recognise PCA," she said. "We need better tools in clinical settings to identify these patients early on and get them treatment."
Patients usually first visit a doctor 3.8 years after symptom onset, by which time mild or moderate dementia is often apparent. At diagnosis, many patients showed signs of "constructional dyspraxia, space perception deficit, and simultanagnosia." Additionally, nearly half struggled with basic maths calculations and reading.
Dr. Renaud La Joie, a colleague of Chapleau at UCSF, stressed that early detection of PCA could enhance Alzheimer's treatment. The study found that PCA patients "show similar levels of amyloid and tau," like those in typical Alzheimer's cases, suggesting they might benefit from new treatments.
Senior author Gil Rabinovici, MD, director of the UCSF Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, highlighted the need to understand why Alzheimer's targets visual areas in the brain rather than memory areas. He also pointed out the higher prevalence of PCA in women as a key area for future research.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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