Glaucoma is often called the “silent thief of sight” because it can slowly damage your vision without any warning signs. It affects the optic nerve, which is the part of the eye that sends images to the brain.
If left untreated, glaucoma can lead to permanent blindness. Most of the time, glaucoma happens when pressure builds up inside the eye. But there’s also a less common form called normal-tension glaucoma, where the optic nerve is damaged even though eye pressure remains in the normal range.
On a different note, Alzheimer’s disease is a brain condition that causes memory loss, confusion, and trouble with thinking and daily tasks. As the disease gets worse over time, it can take away a person’s ability to care for themselves. Alzheimer’s is one of the most well-known and feared conditions affecting older adults.
So what do these two very different conditions have in common?
A new study from Taiwan has found a surprising link. Researchers wanted to know if people with normal-tension glaucoma might also be at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. To explore this, they looked at the health records of more than 15,000 people with this rare type of glaucoma.
Then, they compared those records with 61,000 people who did not have glaucoma. These groups were tracked for 12 years, giving scientists a good long-term view of their health.
What they found was unexpected: people with normal-tension glaucoma had a 52% higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to people without the eye condition. The risk was even greater for older women and for people who had previously suffered a stroke.
Even more surprising, people who were receiving treatment for their glaucoma still had a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s, suggesting that medication for glaucoma doesn’t protect against memory loss.
The lead researcher, Dr. Yu-Yen Chen, said that doctors should be aware of this connection and consider checking glaucoma patients for early signs of Alzheimer’s. Catching either condition early gives people a better chance of managing their symptoms and getting the support they need.
Why would an eye disease be linked to a brain disease? Scientists are still figuring that out, but they believe both glaucoma and Alzheimer’s involve damage to nerve cells. In glaucoma, the optic nerve cells die off, leading to vision loss.
In Alzheimer’s, it’s the brain cells that are affected, leading to memory and thinking problems. Even though the diseases affect different parts of the body, the basic problem—nerve cell damage—might be the same.
Researchers hope that by studying this link more closely, they might discover new treatments that could help both conditions. It’s also a strong reminder of how closely eye health and brain health are connected.
Not everyone with normal-tension glaucoma will get Alzheimer’s, but this study shows the importance of being aware of the connection. It also highlights how important regular eye exams and memory check-ups are, especially as we get older. If you or a loved one has normal-tension glaucoma, it may be worth discussing memory and brain health with a doctor.
This discovery doesn’t just raise new questions for scientists—it also gives the rest of us a reason to be more proactive about caring for both our vision and our minds.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about the likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease, and new non-drug treatment that could help prevent Alzheimer’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about diet that may help prevent Alzheimer’s, and results showing some dementia cases could be prevented by changing these 12 things.
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