You may be surprised to know that optometrists have successfully diagnosed around 320,000 cases pertaining to early symptoms of diabetes – enabling patients to of diabetes take early precautions to prevent severe symptoms from developing. There are chances that results would be positive if optometrists carry out a similar practice to diagnose symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. You may think “why is this necessary”? It is because of the 50% increase the number of people affected by decreased cognitive health and memory loss in recent years.
Moreover, psychologists also fear that Alzheimer’s could become a common health problem in the future. All these facts are convincing enough to learn about early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease to help you steer clear of the symptoms associated with the debilitating health disorder.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many who are aware of the onset of symptoms and causes that lead to Alzheimer’s. So, it strongly recommended that you also talk to your optometrist about it – ask them to look for early signs of the disease along with getting a routine eye checkup. Psychologists have determined that early diagnoses in this regard can provide a steady chance to both patient and doctors to treat the mental disorder effectively. This way, doctors can suggest potential precautions to the patient and help them improve their quality of life.
Numerous experiments have been performed in this regard and no doubt more are still required to find out ways to determine risks associated with Alzheimer’s. However, according to an optometrist, with the help of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), signs of Alzheimer’s can be identified. This medical breakthrough can help identify if there is any thinning in the retinal ganglion layer of the cell in your eyes. It will also identify when the size of optic nerve begins to increase. According to experts, these signs are similar and often misunderstood with another disorder called glaucoma.
Like glaucoma, Alzheimer’s patients also start to experience poor vision. Moreover, the early changes that occur are measurable. One of the earliest signs is a failure in the Benton Visual Retention Test that is a visual memory examination. During the test, the patient is required to draw shapes on a piece of paper – symptoms are diagnosed based on the individual’s ability to remember and recognize the shapes he is drawing.
According to a study, the Benton Visual Retention Test is effective and is effective enough to predict the risk of Alzheimer’s at very early level. Once you find out that you are developing a risk of the chronic disease, you can consult with a psychologist along with the information your optometrist provides.
Apart from Benton Visual Retention Test, eye scans are effective as well. Studies have shown that scanning an eye for amyloid can provide an insight into the patient’s brain. The studies also maintain that the clumps developed as a result of the beta-amyloid protein is one of the primary signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, to prevent falling prey to a chronic mental disorder, consulting with an optometrist can be a wise idea.
