A TEST for Alzheimer’s disease that could reveal its early signs decades before there’s any real brain damage may be literally staring us in the eye.
People with Alzheimer’s seem to develop a rare form of cataract made up of the same beta-amyloid protein that forms the clumps or plaques in the brain that characterise the disease.
Patients won’t notice the cataract because it forms behind the iris, not the pupil, and doesn’t affect vision. But it can be seen and measured through a simple device called a slit lamp, which makes it easy to spot the disease early on and monitor its development.…
