Recently, some changes detected in the retina are accepted as a biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases. It has been proposed that changes in retinal thickness determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease may support the diagnosis of the disease. In a meta-analysis study conducted by den Haan et al. at the University of Amsterdam, retinal thickness was compared in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, patients with mild cognitive impairment and healthy individuals. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment retinal nerve fiber thickness was found to be significantly thinner than the healthy control group. It has also been shown that the central macular thickness is thinner in Alzheimer’s patients than in healthy individuals. As a result, it has been shown that there is thinning of retinal thickness in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and patients with mild cognitive impairment. These results show that some retinal changes detected may be a reflection of neurodegenerative diseases.
Haan J, Verbraak FD, Visser PJ, Bouwman FH. Retinal thickness in Alzheimer’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2017 Jan 25;6:162-170
