Simple eye test could spot the early signs of Parkinson’s disease
Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali suffered from the disease for years before his death, but there's new hope for treatment
A SIMPLE eye test could spot Parkinson’s disease before symptoms emerge, British-based experts have discovered.
Changes in the retina at the back of the eye can show doctors the incurable illness is setting in and offer hope of earlier treatment.
The team who made the discovery said it could be a “revolutionary breakthrough”.
They also found damage to the retina caused by Parkinson’s was reversed with a drug normally used for diabetes.
Parkinson’s, which affects 127,000 people in the UK, is caused by a shortage of the chemical dopamine in the brain.
Muhammad Ali had it for years before his death, while actor Bob Hoskins died from it in 2014.
Most sufferers are not diagnosed until they show symptoms like shaky hands.
But by this point more than 70 per cent of the brain’s dopamine-producing cells are destroyed.
The new eye test could identify sufferers sooner, and slow the decline.
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University College London experts said the test, along with diabetes drug rosiglitazone, could transform care.
Dr Eduardo Normando added: “It has the potential to limit and perhaps eliminate the suffering of thousands of patients, if we are able to diagnose and treat early.”