title: Visual dysfunction and its correlation with retinal changes in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: AimTo evaluate visual dysfunction and its correlation with structural changes in the retina in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).MethodsPatients with AD (n=24) and controls (n=24) underwent evaluation of visual acuity (VA), color vision (using the Farnsworth and L'Anthony desaturated (D) 15 color tests), and contrast sensitivity vision (CSV; using the Pelli-Robson chart and CSV-1000E test) to measure visual dysfunction. Structural measurements of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular thickness were obtained using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).ResultsCSV at three of the four spatial frequencies was significantly worse in AD patients than in controls. Color vision was significantly affected in AD patients based on the Farnsworth color test. Compared with controls, macular thinning was detected in all sectors except the fovea, and the RNFL exhibited significant thinning in the superior quadrant and lower average thickness (P<0.05). CSV was the functional parameter most strongly correlated with structural measurements in patients with AD. Color vision was strongly associated with macular volume (r>0.70, P<0.05). VA at different levels of contrast was associated with macular and RNFL thickness.ConclusionsPatients with AD had visual dysfunction that correlated with structural changes evaluated by SD-OCT. Macular measurements may be reliable indicators of visual impairment in AD patients.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon-IACS), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Polo
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rodrigo
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon-IACS), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia-Martin
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon-IACS), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Otin
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon-IACS), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Larrosa
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon-IACS), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Fuertes
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon-IACS), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Bambo
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon-IACS), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Pablo
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon-IACS), Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satue
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications*; D055253:Color Vision / Q000502:physiology*; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012160:Retina / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014787:Vision Tests; D014792:Visual Acuity