Happy Friday everyone! It’s currently cold with freezing rain here—a far cry from the 60-degree temps we enjoyed on Thursday. Such is life in the Midwest.
I’ve been aware of this development for the last couple of years, but a recent USA Today article (published January 6th) brought it back into focus, so I thought it would be worth discussing briefly.
First, a quick anatomy refresher: The retina is a direct extension of your brain. It’s not an exaggeration to say that when we look at the back of your eye, we’re essentially looking at your brain. Examining the retina is far easier, faster, and less expensive than imaging the brain directly with an MRI or PET scan, which can cost thousands of dollars.
Researchers are now exploring the use of a common retinal scanning device called optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect early changes in the retina that may correspond to the amyloid plaques that form in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Imagine being able to run a simple, non-invasive scan—costing just a couple hundred dollars—and getting early clues about potential Alzheimer’s risk or progression.
In my personal opinion, we will see this kind of technology become available in the coming years. We already have a state-of-the-art OCT in our office, and I suspect it would only require a software upgrade to perform these specialized scans. Time will tell, of course, but I continue to be amazed at what we can observe and learn simply by looking into our patients’ eyes.
Dr. Jason
