According to the new studies a minor damage in the veins in the retina because of any vascular diseases can directly lead to decline in memory and thinking capability. It is said that problem with veins in eyes proves that the veins in brain are also not working correctly. If it is proven retinopathy i.e. checking for damage in the veins of retina indirectly helps to check for the risk of dementia i.e. problem with thinking and memory ability.

Eye health and brain health

Retinopathy is a condition caused due to hypertension and diabetes. Retinopathy can lead to blindness. Both hypertension and diabetes also increase the risk of dementia i.e. declining of memory and thinking ability.

A research is conducted on data of women’s health initiative to check weather retinopathy acts as early symptom of vascular associated mental problem. The study included above 500 older women who went through yearly mental testing for up to 10 years to analyse thinking and mental skills. Along with the above the women also went through single eye examination for four hours and also brain scan.

Around 7.6% i.e. 39 women were having retinopathy but there vision was not that worse than women who do not have the disease. Women with retinopathy had low memory and thinking capacity when compared to those who do not have retinopathy. When conducted a brain scan it showed that women with retinopathy also have damage in the veins of brain.

Connection between retinopathy and memory loss

Researcher Mary Haan, DrPH, MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco, says that according to the studies a mild retinopathy can be a sign of vein disease and also acts as a risk factor for vein related memory and thinking problems.

Rebecca F. Gottesman, MD, PhD, a stroke neurologist says that it still needs to be known weather retinopathy screening provides valuable information about health of the brain.

She also says that retinopathy testing may also show to be useful in detecting people at risk of declining of memory and thinking ability but we haven’t there yet.