Routine eye tests may be able to reveal signs of Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear

Routine eye tests may reveal early signs of Alzheimer's disease, well before symptoms appear, according to a study in mice that researchers said strengthens the case that one's retina can be a powerful biomarker for the neurodegenerative disease.

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The study, published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia, links abnormal changes in blood vessels of the retina in mice with a common gene variant known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

"If you're at an optometrist or ophthalmologist appointment, and they can see odd vascular changes in your retina, that could potentially represent something that is also happening in your brain, which could be very informative for early diagnostics," said lead researcher Alaina Reagan, a neuroscientist at The Jackson Laboratory, a US-based biomedical research institution.