|Articles|October 1, 2016

Similarities seen in ocular protein deposits in glaucoma, dementia

The latest findings in the similarities between protein deposits seen in the eyes of patients with glaucoma and those with dementia are highlighted.

Reviewed by Neeru Gupta MD, PhD, MBA

Toronto-It may be no accident that so many patients with dementia also have vision loss, or that older patients with glaucoma may also show signs of dementia.

A growing body of evidence is finding a growing number of similarities between glaucoma and dementia at the molecular level as well as at the population level, said Neeru Gupta MD, PhD, MBA.

Related: Managing ocular surface disease in patients with glaucoma

“Little is known about the disease and no curative treatments are available,” said Dr. Gupta, professor and Dorothy Pitts Chair of Ophthalmology, St. Michael’s Hospital, and chief of glaucoma, at the University of Toronto.

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“You might think that is a description of glaucoma, but these are quotes from Alzheimer’s papers,” she added. “Both are age-related, progressive diseases that give rise to characteristic protein aggregates.”

The two conditions do not give rise to identical proteinaceous ocular deposits, Dr. Gupta said.

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