Poor Vision in the Elderly Has Dementia Risks


According to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology the elderly who are suffering from vision problems, significantly those that have gone untreated, are in fact more likely to develop dementia. Whilst it remains unclear just why this appears to be the case, the evidence does point towards such a correlation.

The study was conducted at the University of Michigan and involved the usage of data from the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study (ADAMS) which is a continuing study into the development of dementia in the elderly in America. The study entailed 625 participants over the age of 70 who were followed for around 10 years. During the study 168 of the elderly developed forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. In these particular patients, not even 10% of them thought their vision was “excellent” at the beginning of the study. Of the rest of the study 169 had vision problems without dementia and 288 maintained their vision. Researchers also looked into whether the patients had had eye procedures or had visited an optician in the time the study took place. Nearly half of the study had had an operation and 76.9% had visited their optician. For those who did visit their optician, the risk of developing dementia was seen to be reduced, on average, by 64% as opposed to those who had not seen their optician at all. Overall, the researchers concluded that both the combination of poor vision and lack of visits to their optician meant a greater risk of 9.5 times for their development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Whilst the results do not show for definite that a lack of vision care leads to a greater chance in dementia; from the results they have produced there is evidently a clear correlation. The authors of the study did conclude that by treating vision problems in the elderly, it could provide a good delay for dementia diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Additionally, there has already been a study suggesting that Alzheimer’s disease could be detected through the eyes; so with an amalgamation of both studies it provides a clear message that the care of eyes remains important into elderly age.

24th February 2010

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