Vision impairment can be one of the first signs of dementia, and reduced stimulation of visual sensory pathways is believed to accelerate its progression.
In a study from the Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, scientists found that age-related macular degeneration, cataract and diabetes-related eye disease are linked to an increased risk of dementia.
Previous studies had found there may be a link between vision impairment—age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetes-related eye disease and glaucoma—and cognitive impairment.
The risk of these eye conditions increases with age, as does the risk of systematic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and stroke, which are risk factors for dementia.
In the study, researchers analyzed data on 12,364 adults aged 55-73 years enrolled in the UK Biobank study.
The team showed that age-related macular degeneration, cataract and diabetes-related eye disease, but not glaucoma, were linked to an increased risk of dementia from any cause.
Compared with people who did not have ophthalmic conditions at the start of the study, the risk of dementia was 26% higher in those with age-related macular degeneration, 11% higher in those with cataracts, and 61% higher in those with diabetes-related eye disease.
While glaucoma was not linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, it was associated with a higher risk of vascular dementia.
At the start of the study, participants were asked whether they had ever experienced a heart attack, angina, stroke, high blood pressure or diabetes, and were assessed for depression.
Having one of these conditions (a systemic condition) as well as an eye condition increased the risk of dementia further.
A larger relative risk for dementia was found among people with more eye conditions.
The team says age-related macular degeneration, cataract and diabetes-related eye disease but not glaucoma is linked to an increased risk of dementia.
If you care about eye health, please read studies about what you need to know diabetic eye disease, and western diet may increase vision loss risk in older people.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and results showing how alcohol, coffee and tea intake influence cognitive decline.
The research was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology and conducted by Mingguang He et al.
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