Eye test could help diagnose Alzheimer's disease

A simple eye test could soon be used to identify the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers will look into whether warning signs can be detected using special computer software, known as Vampire, as part of a £1.1 million project.

Project co-ordinator Emanuele Trucco, from the University of Dundee, said: "When changes occur in some parts of the body, you can see differences in the retinal vessels.

"These measurements can indicate a huge amount but to take them by hand is an extremely time-consuming, tedious process.

"The Vampire software interface allows researchers to take these measures repeatedly, reliably, and efficiently even when working with a large number of images.

"There is the promise of early warning in a non-invasive way and there is also the fact that we even might be able to use the test to differentiate between different types of dementia."