Regular eye tests may help predict a person’s risk of developing dementia, researchers from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) have found.1

Dementia rates are rapidly increasing in Australia and globally, with vision problems contributing to an estimated 4.7% of the burden.

NeuRA Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Cognitive Health, Dr Nikki-Anne Wilson, led the research that examined the relationship between change in visual acuity (logMAR) and cognitive decline in 2,281 adults in the PATH through life study over a 12-year period. Additionally, they examined the indirect effect of vision change on overall cognition via social networks.

“While people are encouraged to get regular eye tests, this research highlights that vision checks are important from a cognitive perspective as well… The relationship between visual acuity and cognitive performance was evident across multiple cognitive domains,” Dr Wilson said, highlighting the importance of maintaining good vision for overall cognitive health.

With The Lancet Commission recently including uncorrected vision loss as one of 14 key modifiable dementia risk factors, Dr Wilson said this new research shows that “identifying these changes early and addressing them may help reduce the risk of developing dementia”.

“We know that the protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease can be found in both the brain and the retina,” Dr Wilson said.

“Neuroimaging findings also indicate that visual impairment results in brain changes both within and beyond parts of the brain which process vision.”

But it is important to also consider the impact that a decline in vision may have on broader psychosocial factors.

“We show for the first time that the relationship between a decline in vision and global cognitive performance may be partly explained by reduced social contact,” Dr Wilson said.

“People experiencing poorer vision may be more likely to avoid social events due to anxiety and this too may impact their cognitive performance. Our findings indicate the importance of maintaining social contact, not only because social isolation is a risk factor for dementia itself but also because it might also help to reduce the impact of other risk factors, such as poorer vision. However, further work is needed.”

Reference available at mivision.com.au.