Early detection and timely treatment can reduce the severity and slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases reminiscent of Parkinson’s. In a recent study, researchers claim retinal imaging can diagnose Parkinson’s disease seven years before symptoms appear.

In the most recent study, published within the journal Neurology, researchers from University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital within the U.K. identified markers of Parkinson’s in eye scans that may very well be analyzed using artificial intelligence.

“That is the primary time anyone has shown these findings several years before diagnosis, and these results were made possible by the biggest study so far on retinal imaging in Parkinson’s disease,” the researchers said in a news release.

“Oculomics” is an emerging field of research that uses eye scans to grasp the biomarkers of diseases. Earlier studies have shown that retinal imaging will help in detecting neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.

In the most recent study, researchers used the AlzEye database – a big database of retinal images and associated clinical data. The evaluation was repeated using the UK Biobank database of healthy volunteers.

The team recorded detailed retinal images of the participants using an Optical Coherence Tomography scanner that is generally utilized by opticians during eye tests. These images were then evaluated using AI to estimate the changes in a “specific area” of the retina that indicates Parkinson’s disease.

“One among the unique things about Parkinson’s is that it affects a selected form of cell within the brain, cells that use a chemical called dopamine. We even have cells that use dopamine in the attention as well and most of them are situated in a selected layer here of the retina,” said Dr. Siegfried Wagner, the lead writer of the most recent study.

“I proceed to be amazed by what we are able to discover through eye scans. While we will not be yet able to predict whether a person will develop Parkinson’s, we hope that this method could soon change into a pre-screening tool for people susceptible to the disease,” Wagner added.

Researchers are hopeful the findings would pave the best way for a non-invasive and low-cost diagnostic tool for diagnosing Parkinson’s in the long run.

“Finding signs of various diseases before symptoms emerge signifies that, in the long run, people could have the time to make lifestyle changes to forestall some conditions from arising, and clinicians could delay the onset and impact of life-changing neurodegenerative disorders,” Wagner said.

Published by Medicaldaily.com