Does Your Eye Health Impact Your Dementia Risk?

As we all grow older, our vision changes. On a less severe level, people may have difficulty seeing at night or reading the fine print, or they may experience dry eyes more frequently, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. On a more serious level, we must guard against medical conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, or macular degeneration – so regular eye exams are necessary as we age.

Additionally, a recent study in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology has uncovered that eye health may play a key role in overall cognitive health.

The study, published in September 2024, examined the prevalence of vision impairments and dementia in a group of 2,767 adults aged 65 and older. The researchers found that up to 19% of the dementia cases in the group were attributable to at least one vision impairment.

Maja Kostic, M.D., MMSc., Ph.D., a neuro-ophthalmologist at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and her fellow, Daniela Teijelo, M.D., found the results of this study interesting but not surprising.

“This is something that has been seen with hearing loss, as well,” says Dr. Kostic. “While vision impairment may be contributory to dementia, there are several other factors at play. Vision impairment, just like hearing impairment, can likely exacerbate any underlying neurocognitive impairment.”

Dr. Kostic says that the connection between vision problems and declining mental health as we age can be a bit of a “chicken and egg” relationship.

Dementia and other mental health conditions have a variety of contributing factors, many of which are independent of vision problems. At the same time, there are many cases where issues with vision can play a direct role in declining cognitive function.

“Visual function, just like auditory function, is key in terms of being able to interact with and connect with the outside environment,” says Dr. Kostic. “Without these key functions, the individual may become isolated to the environment, which overall is deleterious to one’s mental and cognitive health.”

The takeaway? Get your eye exams on a regular basis.

According to Prevent Blindness, you should get a complete eye exam every 1-2 years, but they should take place even more frequently if you have diabetes, a family history of glaucoma, previous eye trauma or other risk factors.

“There are not very many warning signs when it comes to vision other than a patient’s subjective evaluation of their vision,” says Dr. Teijelo.

Dr. Kostic says that patients should also be vigilant about vision changes and talk to their eye doctors if they notice anything unusual.

“One should pay close attention to even subtle changes like the clarity of their vision, which should then trigger them to visit an eye doctor,” she says.

“The best method for prevention is having regular eye exams. This helps detect conditions that the patient otherwise may not notice, thus leading to faster treatment and hopefully better outcomes.”

Wyatt Myers is a contributor for UHealth’s news service.

Tags: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Dr. Daniela Teijelo, Dr. Maja Kostic, eye care in Miami, healthy brain