The New Test

 It seems that a new test for early Alzheimer's disease detection has been determined. Dr. Lee Goldstein is a psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry and Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He has studied and determined that the Alzheimer disease process that occurs in the brain also can be detected in the lens of the eye. Optical Tests

A pair of optical tests have been developed by Dr. Goldstein. These tests permit to determine the presence of amyloid beta proteins in the lens of the eye which is also found in the brain of Alzheimer's patients. The presence of the protein can be detected by using a laser ophthalmoscope instrument, which can pick up the gummy aggregated particles in the eye's lens in the very early stage before the formation of cataracts. They need to differentiate the common cataract to the Alzheimer's cataract, so Dr. Goldstein uses a technique where special fluorescence dye drops bind to the amyloid beta proteins. If the proteins glow under the infrared light then the Alzheimer disease is present.

The positive aspect about this finding is that if doctors have the possibility to detect the disease and start the treatment during the early stage, then they can slow the disease and maybe cure it. This new discovery cannot only give the patients the chance to start an early treatment, but it can also help in the development of new drugs for the Alzheimer's disease.