A new study, conducted on a large database, has found an association between preventable visual impairment and the risk of dementia.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Ophthalmology, said vision loss in people over the age of 71 may be linked to dementia, reports Al-Rai daily.
Researchers at the University of Michigan in the US analyzed data from nearly 3,000 Americans over 71 years old who were part of a larger study, the National Health and Aging Attitudes Study (NHATS).
The weighted prevalence of dementia was 12.3 percent and was higher in people with far vision impairment (19.5 percent), 21.5 percent in people with near vision impairment, and 32.9 percent in people with low vision moderate to severe blindness.
This study tested the participants’ eyesight and recorded their scores for short-range vision, long-range vision, and their ability to distinguish objects against different backgrounds. It also found out if the participants had dementia from the NHATS data.
The researchers found that participants with low vision were more likely to develop dementia than people without vision problems.
Up to 40 percent of dementia cases can be affected by 12 risk factors that we may be able to prevent or influence, such as smoking, high blood pressure and hearing loss.
Vision loss/impairment is not currently considered one of these 12 significant risk factors, but new evidence published suggests a link between this condition and dementia.
Dr Susan Mitchell, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is a crucial time for dementia research, as evidence is being built on how factors such as vision loss are linked to dementia. Studies like this are necessary to identify potential new risk factors for dementia and ultimately work out how to potentially prevent some of its conditions.”
“There may be common pathways in the brain that cause both vision loss and a decline in memory and thinking abilities,” Mitchell added.
According to the study, simple interventions such as glasses can reduce the risk of dementia in a large number of people.