Eye Exams & Diagnosing Alzheimer’s

Could An Eye Doctor Diagnose Alzheimer’s Before You Have Symptoms?

A recent study published by Duke University researchers in the journal Retina suggests that an observed loss of blood vessels in retina may reflect changes in brain health and could signal Alzheimer’s disease. In people with healthy brains, microscopic blood vessels form a dense web at the back of the eye inside the retina. In the eyes of people with Alzheimer’s disease, that web was less dense and even sparse in places. The differences in density were statistically significant after researchers controlled for factors including age, sex, and level of education. The study measured blood vessels that can’t be seen during a regular eye exam using noninvasive technology that takes high-resolution images of very small blood vessels within the retina in just a few minutes, called Optical Coherence Tomography-Angiography (OCT-A). They concluded that it’s possible that these changes in blood vessel density in the retina could mirror what’s going on in the tiny blood vessels in the brain, perhaps before we are able to detect any changes in cognition. 

With nearly 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and no viable treatments or noninvasive tools for early diagnosis, its burden on families and the economy is heavy. Scientists at have studied other changes in the retina that could signal trouble upstream in the brain, such as thinning of some of the retinal nerve layers. The goal would be to use this technology to detect Alzheimer’s early, before symptoms of memory loss are evident, and be able to monitor these changes over time in participants of clinical trials studying new Alzheimer’s treatments.

Please mention any concerns you have about Alzheimer’s during your regular eye exam. To learn more about new technology and examination techniques we are using, please just ask us at your scheduled appointment. Schedule your exam at D’Ambrosio Eye Care at 800-325-3937, visit D’Ambrosio Eye Care, or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care provides eye care for patients throughout greater Boston, central and western Massachusetts with office locations at 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 865 Merriam Avenue, Suite 119, Leominster, Massachusetts 01453, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331, 74 Main Street, Gardner, Massachusetts 01440 and 255 Park Avenue, Suite 606, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609

It’s Soccer Season-Time for Sunwear!

Spring soccer season has started. Do you or your children head out to the field to play soccer? Down the street from our Lancaster office we have hundreds and hundreds of soccer players and their families at the Fields at Progin Park. We drive by knowing on those fields there are people who wish they had sunwear for the bright sunny mornings or their children could use some prescription goggles while on the field because they are still too young for contact lenses. We offer solutions for both those problems. After the game, stop by any of our locations and check out what we offer, so you will be prepared for the next game. We offer sunwear for children and adults in many prices ranges and designers. We are a great spot to get your prescription Maui Jim’s as well! Lancaster Optical and some of our other locations are open 8-5 on Saturdays.

Visit D’Ambrosio Optical Center to learn more about soccer sunwear, or visit us at D’Ambrosio Optical Center, or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help select fashionable, comfortable and durable eyeglasses and eyewear for your entire family.

D'Ambrosio Optical Center provides personalized service fitting and selection of eyewear for patients throughout greater Boston, central and western Massachusetts with office locations at 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 865 Merriam Avenue, Suite 119, Leominster, Massachusetts 01453, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 and 74 Main Street, Gardner, Massachusetts 01440.

Heavy Smoking and Vision Loss

Heavy Smoking Can Damage Vision

Researchers at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care reported findings of a study in Psychiatry Research demonstrating that smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day can damage your vision. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 34.3 million adults in the US currently smoke cigarettes and that more than 16 million live with a smoking-related disease, many of which affect the cardiovascular system. Cigarette smoke consists of numerous neurotoxic compounds that are harmful to health. These neurotoxic chemicals are believed to result in nerve damage to the optic nerve and retinal nerve fiber layer resulting in a loss of color vision and contrast sensitivity. This damage is in addition to the known harmful effects of smoking which doubles the risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and hastens the yellowing of the crystalline lens of the eye where cataracts form.

If you or someone you know is a smoker-now is the time to quit! To learn more about eye health and smoking schedule an eye exam at D’Ambrosio Eye Care at 800-325-3937, visit D’Ambrosio Eye Care, or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care provides eye care for patients throughout greater Boston, central and western Massachusetts with office locations at 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 865 Merriam Avenue, Suite 119, Leominster, Massachusetts 01453, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331, 74 Main Street, Gardner, Massachusetts 01440 and 255 Park Avenue, Suite 606, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609.