Eyes, Falls May Offer Alzheimer’s Clues

Frequent falls or protein deposits in the eye could signal an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, two studies suggest. Both were presented at a conference in France. The fall study included 125 people with normal brain function. Their average age was 74. Journals they kept showed that 48 fell at least once in a 6-month period. Everyone was given a spinal tap to look for substances that can detect Alzheimer’s risk. People with these substances in their spinal fluid were much more likely to fall than others. The eye study compared photographs of the retina for 3 groups. These included 13 people with Alzheimer’s and 13 with mild cognitive impairment. This condition can lead to Alzheimer’s. The third group consisted of 110 healthy people. Blood vessels in people with Alzheimer’s were narrower. This showed they had a protein buildup in the vessels.