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The Visual Variant of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia which mostly affects the elderly. Impaired memory and confusion are typically the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease, but some people experience problems with their vision before other symptoms develop. Rarely, only visual symptoms occur.

  1. Initial Symptoms

    • A person with the visual variant of Alzheimer's disease might go to an eye doctor saying that his vision is deteriorating, or that he can see but can't read. He also may be experiencing problems with depth perception.

    Identification

    • An eye doctor may suspect Alzheimer's disease or another neurological problem if the patient complains of visual difficulties while eye tests show that her vision actually is normal, or normal with her usual corrective lenses.

    Expert Insight

    • The American Academy of Ophthalmology cites a 2009 study that followed 10 patients with the visual variant of Alzheimer's disease. Most or all had difficulty reading, writing, ignoring unimportant visual information and identifying colored numbers. Most also had difficulty interpreting complex images, a contributor to the problems later-stage Alzheimer’s patients experience with recognizing faces.

    Diagnosis Confirmation

    • Neuropsychological testing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide supporting evidence when a doctor suspects the visual variant of Alzheimer's disease, as noted by a study published in the February 2004 issue of "Ophthalmology." Positron emission tomography (PET) scans also can be useful, especially for patients with a normal MRI.

    Disease Progression

    • Most people with the visual variant of Alzheimer's eventually develop memory impairment and other symptoms, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Additionally, many people with Alzheimer’s disease who first experience memory problems develop vision difficulties later.

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