4 early signs of dementia that can appear in eyes before memory issues begin | Health

Dementia can set in slowly and at times there are early signs that can predict the neurodegenerative disease. Confusion, memory problems, reduced concentration, personality or behaviour changes, and inability of a person to perform daily functions all show progression of the disease and how it’s eating away the brain. More than 10 million elderly in India may have dementia, said a study. According to a study published in the journal Nature Public Health Emergency Collection, by 2050 people over 60 years of age are predicted to constitute 19.1 per cent of the total population in India. Dementia shouldn’t be considered a normal part of ageing and there are people who live their full lives without any signs of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common types of dementia. (Also read: Popular acid reflux medicine linked to dementia risk: study)

While signs of dementia can be seen in behaviour, gait and personality, the earliest signs could be visible in eyes or your vision.

Dr Jørn Slot Jørgensen, a leading ophthalmologist at Laser Eye Clinic in London, in an interview with Express.co.uk, has warned of the signs of dementia you can spot in the eyes, even before memory issues start.

Research suggests that vision problems may be one of the first signs of dementia, as per Express. A study from the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences found that retinal scans can detect key changes in blood vessels that may provide an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

SIGNS OF DEMENTIA IN EYES

Here are signs of dementia in your eyes as per Dr Jørgensen that you need to be aware of.

1. Difficulty in reading or writing: People with dementia can face problems in comprehension, writing properly or understanding numbers or symbols.

2. Change in vision: People with dementia have trouble judging distances or identifying colours and contrasts.

3. Visual hallucinations: Seeing things that are not there could be an early sign of dementia as per Dr Jørgensen.

4. Impaired visual memory: One suffering from dementia may not able to recall faces, places, or objects.

Thinning of retina: Early studies suggest that thinning of a person’s retina during middle age could indicate decline in cognitive performance.