Two additional rounds of tests occurred during the next 20 years. Three years into the study, researchers used a special cam- era to take photos of each person’s retina, thereby providing a snapshot of what is going on in the microvasculature in the eye. From that one measure, scientists can identify retinal signs indicative of reti- nopathy, also known as damage to the retinal blood vessels. Those tests revealed:


• 95 percent of participants showed no signs of damage to their retinal blood vessels • 3 percent had mild retinopathy • 2 percent had moderate to severe reti- nopathy


After analyzing the data, the research- ers noticed participants with moderate to severe retinopathy were more likely to score significantly lower on memory and thinking tests than their healthy-eyed peers. (While results were stronger for people with diabetes, the linkage was equally significant for those who did not have dia- betes.) These participants, in fact, saw their


average test scores decline by 1.22 stan- dard deviation units during the 20-year study. In contrast, participants with healthy eyes experienced declines of 0.91 standard deviation units. About the outcomes, the study authors stated, “Retinopathy was associated with accelerated rates of 20-year cognitive de- cline. These findings support the explora- tion of more sensitive measures in the eye … which may provide surrogate indexes of microvascular lesions relevant to cogni- tive decline in older adults.”


If Your Eyes Are Unhealthy, It’s Likely Your Brain May Be Unhealthy Too Dr. Rachel Bishop, chief of the Na-


tional Eye Institute’s consult service, who was not involved in the study, affirmed the research results, saying: “If the retinal blood vessels are un-


healthy, there's every reason to think the brain blood vessels are unhealthy as well. The blood vessel supply is essential to all function — the function of all organs — and so if the blood vessels are unable to do their job, there's no way the brain can be functioning as well as a brain that has a good [blood] supply."


When asked for her opinion related to screening the eye and retina for potential negative conditions in the brain, such as


14th Anniversary Edition April 2018 27


memory loss, Bishop said, “I share a com- mon hope we could detect things early enough and have interventions early enough to change the course of a negative [brain] event." Since your brain is neatly tucked inside


of your skull, the eyes are, in effect, the only part of the brain that can be seen di- rectly. This happens when your eye doctor uses an ophthalmoscope and shines a bright light into your eye as part of an eye examination. The light reveals your retina and blood vessels and can also detect any potential issues with your optic nerve, which carries visual messages from your retina to your brain via electrical impulses. "Looking in an eye really is a fabulous


experience," says Dr. Charles Wilkinson, a retina specialist and past president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. "It's the only place you can see blood vessels bouncing along their merry way, [and] you can see the optic nerve, which is part of the brain."


What Else Can Your Eyes Tell You About Your Health? Beyond cluing you into a possible future risk of memory decline, your eye health has been associated with a growing list of conditions and diseases that can tell


you a lot about your health. Dr. Justin Bazan, an optometrist and


medical adviser to the nonprofit The Vision Council, highlights the importance of studying the blood vessels found in your eyes. "They do have a direct link and cor- relation to systemic disease," he said. By tracking eye changes that occur with dis- ease, says Bazan, it may be possible to predict cardiovascular events, such as stroke, as well as mental changes related to conditions like Alzheimer's disease. For that reason, Bazan suggests you undergo routine eye exams for more than just obtaining new glasses or refilling your prescription for contact lenses. He believes these appointments are also opportunities for you to learn more about the health of your eyes and how your ocular health af- fects your overall health and well-being. Some of the diseases known to affect your eyes include the following:


Cancer


While you or your doctor will likely detect signs of malignancy before it would be uncovered in an eye exam, cancers of the breast, as well as leukemia and lymphoma, often signal their pres- ence in your eyes.


Bazan explains that one of the most


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44