Getting your eyes checked regularly helps you maintain good vision and eye health. For people who already wear glasses, routine eye tests can also help ensure their prescription lenses are always up-to-date. After all, wearing the wrong prescription glasses can result in blurred or distorted vision, which can interfere with daily tasks and activities.

Recently, a new study funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK may have revealed additional benefits to getting routine eye tests. The research uses an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help identify differences in the shape and size of blood vessels at the back of the eye, indicating potential changes in a patient’s cognitive health.

The study has the potential for a new diagnostic tool that experts say can complement existing tests such as brain scans, helping ensure patients and health practitioners get the full picture of conditions like dementia more quickly.

The tool, called Quartz, can analyse eye scans in seconds. Using Quartz, researchers at City St George’s scanned more than 63,000 people aged between 40 and 69. The results indicate that those with retinal blood vessels that had reduced width and had particular twisting patterns demonstrated lower scores in cognitive tests like memory, reaction time, and intelligence.

Brits and eye tests

Unfortunately, while eye health experts continue to emphasise the importance of routine eye tests, many in the UK aren’t heeding the advice. According to findings from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), 36% of respondents had not had an eye examination in the last two years. Worse, 4% couldn’t remember the last time they had had one.

The data revealed that men were the most likely not to have had an eye examination (44%) compared to women (36%) and adults over 65 (18%). Gender isn’t the only significant factor in this case, with 55% of people living in lower-income households not having an eye exam in the last two years versus one-third of those living in a higher-income household.

Overall, ABDO estimates that some 19 million adults in Britain are failing to have routine eye exams. Meanwhile, in line with the new study from Alzheimer’s Research UK, ABDO highlighted that up to one in five dementia cases are directly linked to vision impairment, which a routine eye test can help identify. Aside from dementia, sight-threatening eye diseases and conditions like hypertension can present with no or few noticeable symptoms.

Tech and eye tests

Nowadays, innovations and developments in technology are making eye tests more accessible to Brits. UK retailer Vision Express offers an easy and convenient way for people to book eye test appointments through their site. This includes the retailer’s Advanced Eye Test, which features an eye health screening using OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) 3D eye scan to detect eye conditions early.

This quick, non-invasive scan provides a detailed 3D image of the inside of a patient’s eye, helping diagnose eye conditions and diseases — such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, and detached retina — earlier than other eye examinations.

Meanwhile, researchers and eye health experts continue investing in technological upgrades to improve eye test results. A £1.18 million study to be carried out at the University of Bradford aims to use 3D images to get a more accurate picture of the eye to diagnose conditions based on the thinning of retinal tissue. One of the major conditions that can be diagnosed more effectively using this technology is glaucoma. Today, it’s the world’s leading cause of irreversible blindness and affects 3% of people over 40 in the UK.

Ultimately, for Brits, eye health and routine eye tests should be a priority. Aside from researchers, retailers are also working tirelessly to promote the importance of eye health and eye test awareness. In a previous post, we highlighted Specsavers‘ recent 25 km walking challenge aiming to raise more than £1,000 for a cancer charity. The funds raised from the event went to the Macmillan Cancer Support.