Researchers take another step closer to being able to detect dementia with an eye scan

Dementia may be able to be detected with an eye scan before the first symptoms occur. Researchers of Amsterdam UMC see possibilities in this. They have discovered that patients with so-called Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) have abnormalities in the retina of the eyes. These links bring an early diagnosis one step closer.

The researchers made their discovery by researching the eyes of more than 100 people who had died because of brain disorders. So far, FTD can only be diagnosed with certainty after death by testing whether a specific protein is present in the patient's brain.

Based on the new insights, if the diagnosis can be made by scanning the eyes, researchers claim that it should even be possible to detect dementia years before somebody feels the effects of it.

"This does not just help patients prepare for the future, but it also opens the doors for early participation in scientific research into new treatments and medicines for dementia," said researcher Frederique Hart de Ruijter in a statement. Her research was published in the scientific magazine Acta Neuropathologica.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a form of dementia that comes from brain damage and usually starts at a young age, usually between age 40 and 60. According to Alzheimer Netherlands, it is the most common form of dementia amongst people of a younger age after Alzheimer's.