Stating that the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, which seriously affects the quality of life, can be made with an eye examination before the disease begins, Dünyagöz Altunizade's surgeon Dr. Füsun Uzunoğlu said: “The retina is an area that has tissues similar to the brain tissues and these tissues can be noticed during an eye examination. In patients with a risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, the way light is reflected from the retina changes. These changes can be detected long before the disease causes behavioral or mental changes. It is possible to detect these changes with a detailed eye examination.”
Alzheimer's disease can cause serious problems with memory, movement, and behavior. Stating that in addition to all these negative effects, Alzheimer's disease can cause serious problems in vision, Dünyagöz Altunizade's surgeon Dr. Füsun Uzunoğlu said: “Alzheimer's is a serious disease that occurs in the brain, has been difficult to diagnose until recent years and causes serious problems in old age. Diseases such as undiagnosed cataracts and age-related macular degeneration that occur in advancing ages, when combined with the changing perception in the brain, cause result in a vision that affects the quality of life. The symptoms of the disease progress over the years, and the only method of diagnosis under normal conditions is the interpretation of these symptoms. Thanks to the developments in the field of ophthalmology in recent years, it is now possible to diagnose Alzheimer's disease with an eye examination, before the major symptoms we are talking about appear.”
With early diagnosis, the progression of the disease can be prevented
Stating that even though Alzheimer's disease cannot be completely cured, the symptoms can be controlled with early diagnosis. Dr. Uzunoğlu says that diagnosis can be made by observing the changes in the retina. Surgeon Dr. Uzunoğlu said: “The retina, located at the back of the eye, consists of 10 layers. Studies show that the thinning observed in these layers and the formation of beta-amyloid plaques develop parallel to the damage of Alzheimer's disease to the nerve cells of the brain. Using retinal tomography and nerve fiber measurements made with a device called OCT, Alzheimer's diagnosis can be caught before the neurological symptoms in the brain appear. Unlike other dementias, progressive loss of retinal nerve fibers is more evident in Alzheimer's patients. Because of the detection of beta-amyloid plaques that cause Alzheimer's with retinal tomography, it is possible to both control the symptoms and protect the quality of life. So, the most important point in Alzheimer's disease is to be diagnosed before the disease affects memory. We recommend everyone with a family history of Alzheimer's to get OCT examinations.”
