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Medicine Science

Millions With Eye Conditions at Higher Risk of Dementia, Shows Research (theguardian.com) 38

Millions of people with eye conditions including age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetes-related eye disease have an increased risk of developing dementia, new research shows. From a report: Vision impairment can be one of the first signs of the disease, which is predicted to affect more than 130 million people worldwide by 2050. Previous research has suggested there could be a link between eye conditions that cause vision impairment, and cognitive impairment. However, the incidence of these conditions increases with age, as do systemic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and stroke, which are all accepted risk factors for dementia. That meant it was unclear whether eye conditions were linked with a higher incidence of dementia independently of systemic conditions.

Now researchers have found that age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetes-related eye disease are independently associated with increased risk of dementia, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The research examined data from 12,364 British adults aged 55 to 73, who were taking part in the UK Biobank study. They were assessed in 2006 and again in 2010 with their health information tracked until early 2021.

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Millions With Eye Conditions at Higher Risk of Dementia, Shows Research

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  • by sgage ( 109086 ) on Tuesday September 14, 2021 @07:05PM (#61797265)

    ... but I've got glaucoma and incipient cataracts. Not only that, I also have glaucoma. What were we talking about?

  • It looks to me like the eye diseases and dementia are both linked to diabetes. I would not find that surprising. The link to eye disease is, I believe, well known and diabetes is known to damage the nervous system, so why not the brain
    • by e3m4n ( 947977 )
      OR, both being genetic dispositions, maybe they arent the causes of each other but rather, the result of underlying genetics
      • OR, both being genetic dispositions, maybe they arent the causes of each other but rather, the result of underlying genetics

        Exactly. Longevity is almost all genetics. The men in my family tend to die within a few years of 85, exceptions being war or accident.

        Some drank, some smoked, some ate "bad foods" 85 years old comes along, and they shift this mortal coil.

  • That answers the question of why they could not see they have dementia.

  • Journal article link (Score:5, Informative)

    by dsgrntlxmply ( 610492 ) on Tuesday September 14, 2021 @09:05PM (#61797513)
    Original journal paper, open access: Shang et al. [bmj.com]
  • Could it also be that prions or similar are at partial fault and being transmitted more often among those who frequently receive eye care?

    • So, vision problems may be related to dementia. Other research showed hearing problems related to dementia. My hypothesis: lack of stimulation leads to dementia.

      • "So, vision problems may be related to dementia."

        Who had the idea of connecting eyes directly to the brain?
        Bad design.

      • So, vision problems may be related to dementia. Other research showed hearing problems related to dementia. My hypothesis: lack of stimulation leads to dementia.

        My deafness has a strong tinnitus component, so I should be safe. I haven't had a quiet moment since I was 18. Whatever damage caused the tinnitus happened during a bout of mono.

        • by kackle ( 910159 )
          I've got tinnitus too. Mine seemed to come from significant head/neck misalignment; I am investigating that theory. Did your mono cause any neck strain during recovery? Food for thought. [youtube.com]
          • I've got tinnitus too. Mine seemed to come from significant head/neck misalignment; I am investigating that theory. Did your mono cause any neck strain during recovery? Food for thought. [youtube.com]

            Mine was nerve damage. My hearing issues started when I had mumps around 7 years old. There was no tinnitus then, just a loss of volume so to speak. But it was the mono that really kicked the noise in.

            It started out a few days after I was paying much attention to life again - it sounded like hundreds of birds chirping. It evolved over a few years to a couple high pitches - one different frequency in each ear.

            Now it's a real cacophony, sometimes a clicking, and occasionally a sound like a diesel truc

            • by kackle ( 910159 )
              While I was recovering from my illness, I realized that I kinked my neck constantly while lying flat (in order to read/watch TV). Thanks for the link, and good luck to you.
          • Me too! Not sure when mine came on, but around that time I went over the handlebars on my bike and ricked the muscles in my neck. I've found head position affects the intensity of the noise; you may be on to something. AFAIR there may be a connection between tinnitus and the vagus nerve.

  • I was born blind with congenital cataracts (which they thankfully removed) and am 41 and bipolar 1 now. My mind is not going to last much longer, on lots of anti psychotics and they're looking to up the dose. Also it's not comforting to know that depression gets worse with age.
  • Perhaps loss of vision makes people feel disconnected from the world, unable to do things like drive a car, makes them feel old, depresses them, and those things are what increases dementia? I read the article and it sounds like all they looked for was correlation and asked none of these questions. "researchers found those with age-related macular degeneration had a 26% increased risk of developing dementia. Those with cataracts had an 11% increased risk and people with diabetes-related eye disease had a

The 11 is for people with the pride of a 10 and the pocketbook of an 8. -- R.B. Greenberg [referring to PDPs?]

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