What the eyes tell about their health

A new eye scanner can read diseases out of the eye

The eye can reveal so much about the state of health, has long been known. European researchers took advantage of this and developed an eye scanner that can easily read certain diseases in the eye at an early stage. Among other things, such as Alzheimer's disease or age-related macular degeneration can be diagnosed early.

The EU project for the development of the scanner is called "multimodal optical diagnostics for age-related diseases of the eye and the central nervous system" or "MOON" for short. It is a joint project of Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands under the direction of the Medical University of Vienna. The eye scanner can detect the smallest structural and molecular tissue changes and make a reliable diagnosis based on these conditions.

A new eye scanner can detect neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia or Parkinson's disease in the eye at an early stage. (Image: DKcomposing / fotolia.com)

A deep look into the human eye

To read the information out of the eye, the researchers use several optical methods that complement each other. "Molecularly highly sensitive Raman spectroscopy is combined with optical coherence tomography (OCT)," writes the team led by MOON project leader Rainer Leitgeb in a press release. In this way, the scanner can create high-resolution images from all layers of the retina within seconds.

Early diagnosis right now

As the researchers explain, based on this data a clear early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases can be made in the future, including Parkinson's, Huntington's, Alzheimer's and other dementias. "The earlier the diagnosis, the better the treatment options for the person affected," says Leitgeb.

Why are these diseases in the eye??

"Neurodegenerative diseases not only damage the brain, but also lead to changes in the retina," explains Leitgeb. So you could get a reliable diagnosis without contact and in a few minutes what you had to look into the brain before.

Neurodegenerative diseases on the rise

Experts estimate that the number of neurodegenerative diseases will double in the next 30 years. "If we could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease by five years, that would not only be an advantage for those affected and their relatives, it would also save resources for intensive treatments," said Leitgeb.

Promising results

"Initial studies are promising, suggesting that in the future we will be able to obtain high-resolution data on the structure of the retina and thus information about its molecular composition," explains Leitgeb. Only official study results are expected in the first quarter of 2019. "Without wanting to anticipate the results, one thing is clear: the molecular view into the human eye is feasible," the project manager sums up the results so far.

Alzheimer's research gets new momentum?

At the moment, Alzheimer's research, which has stagnated for years, is gaining momentum again. A new drug could cure Alzheimer's disease, an English research team recently reported. A clinical trial is currently underway with human subjects with Alzheimer's disease at an early stage. According to the researchers, the drug, which has a new approach, has the potential to prevent the disease from progressing. (Vb)