Risk of Dementia Assessed Through Eye Diseases

Increased risk of dementia is associated with age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and diabetes-related eye disease.

Increased risk of dementia is associated with age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and diabetes-related eye disease as per a study published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

One of the first signs of dementia is known to be vision impairment. The rate of progression of the disease is driven by the reduced stimulation of visual sensory pathways.

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‘Increased risk of dementia is associated with age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and diabetes-related eye disease.’

Some of the ophthalmic conditions associated with cognitive impairment are age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetes-related eye disease, and glaucoma. However, the relationship seeks clarification if it's independently associated apart from other systematic conditions.

The study analyzed data on 12,364 adults aged 55-73 years enrolled in the UK Biobank study between 2006 and 2010. They were followed up until early 2021. During the 1,263,513 person-years of follow-up, 2,304 cases of dementia were recorded.

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It was found that age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and diabetes-related eye disease, but not glaucoma, were independently associated with increased risk of dementia from any cause.

The risk of dementia was 26% higher in those with age-related macular degeneration, 11% higher in those with cataracts, and 61% higher in those with diabetes-related eye disease. Although glaucoma was not associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, it was associated with a higher risk of vascular dementia.

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Other systemic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and depression were also found to be associated with an increased risk of dementia.

“Individuals with both ophthalmic and systemic conditions are at higher risk of dementia compared with those with an ophthalmic or systemic condition only. Newly developed hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and depression mediated the association between cataract/ diabetes-related eye disease and dementia,” say the authors.

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Source-Medindia