Study: An eye health exam could delay dementia for senior citizens

February 22, 2010

While eye care exams are beneficial to older individuals because they enable eye doctors to watch out for and treat eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, a new study suggests that frequent eye exams may delay the development of dementia.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, senior citizens who sought treatment for their poor vision from ophthalmologists were 64 percent less likely to develop dementia.

Some of the methods that were found to prevent the disease include surgery for cataracts and treatment for glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. The scientists noted that good eye health could potentially lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease, which is why it's a good idea to seek vision treatment.

"While heart disease and cancer death rates are continuing to decline, mortality rates for Alzheimer's disease are on the rise," says Rogers. "So if we can delay the onset of dementia, we can save individuals and their families from the stress, cost and burden that are associated with Alzheimer's disease."