assessed between 2006 and 2010 and followed up until early 2021.
Over that time more than 2,300 people developed dementia.
The researchers found that compared with people who did not have vision conditions at the start of the study, the risk of dementia was 26% higher among those with age-related macular degeneration, 11% higher in those with cataracts, and 61% higher in those with diabetes-related eye disease.
Glaucoma was not tied with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but it was linked with a higher risk of vascular dementia, such as can happen after a stroke.
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Participants who had diabetes, heart disease, stroke and depression along with vision problems had an even greater risk of dementia as were those with more than one vision problem, researchers note.
Dr. Mark Fromer is an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. The findings suggest that older people with illnesses affecting multiple organs — including the eyes — have higher odds for dementia, according to Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
“There may be an additive effect of ophthalmic and systemic diseases” on dementia risk, Fromer says.
Although researchers are not 100 percent sure if eye problems cause dementia, the results of this study should serve as a reminder of the importance of having regular eye exams with your eye doctor, especially as you get older.