New eye test ‘could allow Parkinson’s disease to be detected early’

Early signs of Parkinson's disease could be detected before symptoms have even appeared thanks to a potentially revolutionary eye test.

The low-cost, noninvasive test has been developed by a team at University College London and is based on the observation of changes in the retina that can be seen in Parkinson's sufferers before changes in the brain occur and the first symptoms manifest.

Using ophthalmic instruments routinely used by optometrists and at eye clinics, the team was able to use the new technique to observe retinal changes at an early stage in rats, allowing a therapy to be administered that showed potential in slowing the development of the disease.

Francesca Cordeiro, professor of glaucoma and retinal neurodegeneration studies at University College London, said: "These tests mean we might be able to intervene much earlier and more effectively treat people with this devastating condition."

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide and typically only becomes symptomatic once more than 70 percent of the brain's dopamine-producing cells have been destroyed.

This test could therefore allow doctors to intervene much earlier, using an affordable technique based on commonly-used equipment.

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