Fatal disease can be detected by simply looking at the eyes

The eyes can point to a deadly brain disease

A recent study into a particularly deadly brain disease has now revealed that physicians may be able to detect disease by looking at a person's eyes. They also found that the eyes of an infected individual can even act as a carrier for the spread of the disease.

Researchers at the University of California found in their recent research that there is a possibility of detecting a fatal disease by only looking at the eyes of those affected. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "mBio".

Our eyes may point to a deadly disease and may even be involved in the spread of the disease. (Image: marinafrost / fotolia.com)

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease ends fatally

For the so-called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), there is currently no cure or effective treatment despite our modern medicine. The disease occurs only rarely, but unfortunately ends with each person affected with death, explain the experts. The eyes of an infected individual can act as a carrier for the spread of the disease, and it is also possible to identify a disease by simply looking at the eyes, the doctors say.

Squirrel eating infects man with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

A few months ago, a medical journal reported a case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease related to the eating of squirrels. CJK is a rare disease that causes certain proteins in the brain to fold incorrectly. This deposit of atypical protein fragments are called prions. They cause lesions in the brain and a spongy destruction of the brain tissue. In this particular case, it was assumed that the patient's disease was the result of eating squirrels meat that had come into contact with the animal's brain substance.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease transmitted via the eyes?

Other cases have already shown that the consumption of cerebral substance can lead to the spread of the disease, but the new research suggests that the eyes of an infected person also carry prions. This is a particular cause for concern for people in the field of eye care. Doctors who perform eye surgery may spread prions if medical devices are contaminated and are not noticed. In a total of eleven patients who died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the eyes were examined for prions. The amount of prions found was quite high, according to the physicians. Most so-called prion seeds were found in the retina of each eye, but prions were also discovered in many other parts of the eye, such as the lens, the optic nerve, and even the surrounding muscles.

Prions also transmittable over our tears?

In the future, the researchers hope that they can examine the tears of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob in more detail. So they want to determine whether prions are present in the discharge of fluid from the eyes, which could also lead to the spread of the disease. (As)