A simple eye test could help solve the biggest global cause of irreversible blindness, glaucoma. In clinical trials, the pioneering diagnostic test – developed by researchers at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and the Western Eye Hospital – allowed doctors to see individual nerve cell death in the back of the eye. Glaucoma affects 60 million people in the world, with 1 in 10 suffering total sight loss in both eyes. Early detection means doctors can start treatments before sight loss begins. The test also has potential for early diagnosis of other degenerative neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
Results of first clinical trials with glaucoma patients are published today (27 April 2017) in the journal BRAIN. ( The link to the journal BRAIN is at the bottom of the article)