Losing This Sense Can Predict Dementia 12 Years Before Diagnosis ...Saudi Arabia

One of the telltale signs of dementia is forgetfulness, but symptoms can appear more than a decade before an official diagnosis.

Researchers aiming to detect early signs of cognitive decline before it progresses to dementia have discovered an unexpected link between dementia and one of the five senses. Find out what it is and how to use this new information to protect your own brain health.

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The sense in question? It's vision, according to recent research. Published in Scientific Reports, the study found that combining vision tests with cognitive tests is more effective in predicting a person’s risk of future dementia.

From 2004 to 2011, the study authors followed the vision changes of 8,623 healthy people between 48 and 92 years old living in England. The research began with everyone taking a visual sensitivity test, during which pressed a button when a triangle appeared on the screen in a field of moving dots. The researchers would then regularly conduct wellness checkups that tested their vision, cognition and overall physical health.

Of the 8,623 people, 537 people were later diagnosed with dementia. The visual sensitivity test results of these folks showed an interesting pattern: In the vision tests, these folks took longer to see the triangle on the screen compared to people who never developed dementia.

The tests showed a slowing of visual processing speed 12 years before typical dementia symptoms appeared. These people took longer to notice objects, regardless of whether it was a complex or simple visual task. Additionally, people who later developed dementia consistently showed lower cognitive scores than those with no dementia.

Related: The Simple, At-Home Test for Early Dementia Detection

Connection Between Vision and Dementia

Poor visual sensitivity is not the only change seen in people with dementia. People in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease often show eye movement problems. These people were more likely to have a harder time ignoring distracting objects, which can be detected through eye-tracking tests.

One explanation for the connection between vision problems and dementia is that the amyloid plaques—toxic clumps that build up and disrupt cell function and are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease—initially impact brain areas involved in vision. Supporting this theory is evidence from studies finding people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease who scored poorly on visual tests having high levels of amyloid and tau plaques.

Additional research has shown that people with Alzheimer’s have trouble recognizing faces. While the issue is largely attributed to memory problems, there’s more evidence of the disease affecting brain areas involved in visually processing faces. 

The connection between vision loss and dementia is growing stronger. In 2024, it was officially listed as one of 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia.

Related: Breathing This Way Could Be an Early Sign of Alzheimer's

It’s too soon to tell. Researchers are still gathering evidence to answer this question.

From what experts currently know, there are some instances where better eyesight improves your memory. The Alzheimer’s Society points to one study where people who underwent cataract surgery were 30% less likely to develop dementia compared to those who did not develop cataracts. Another study calculated that one in five dementia cases could be avoided if people sought treatment for vision problems.

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