Vision Troubles may Signal Alzheimer's

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- For patients who visit the doctor with vision complaints, Alzheimer’s may be to blame. Researchers have found clues to help ophthalmologists detect visual variant Alzheimer's disease, a rare cause of impaired sight.

Most of the time, the first sign of Alzheimer's is cognitive developmental issues. However, for patients with visual variant Alzheimer’s disease (VVAD), vision may be the first to go. Diagnosis and detection can be very difficult, as standard eye care exams do not help in identifying Alzheimer’s.

To develop clues to cue doctors that VVAD may be the issue, researchers studied 10 VVAD patients, with the medium age of 65. They identified patterns among the patients' symptoms. Patients with visual variant Alzheimer’s disease (VVAD) are typically younger than those who lose their memory first. Only three of 10 patients reported memory loss. Nine had trouble with reading, eight with writing and six with basic calculations. Eight patients had difficulty distinguishing and interpreting a complex image.

“Ophthalmologists should be aware of the possibility of VVAD in patients with unexplained vision problems, particularly difficulty with reading,” neuro-ophthalmologist Pierre-Francois Kaeser, M.D., of Jules Gonin Eye Hospital in Swtizerland, was quoted as saying. “Suspect VVAD when a patient tests well for visual acuity but has complaints that are unusual or severe for late middle age.”

SOURCE: Presented at the Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, October 25, 2009

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