Markers on retina can reveal brain cell death

A simple and inexpensive test to detect Alzheimer's and other diseases before symptoms develop could be available from high street practices within the next five years.

It is hoped that the technique, which uses fluorescent markers that attach to dying cells and can be seen in the retina to give an early indication of brain cell death, will enable practitioners to diagnose major neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's.

'I see the role of opticians and optometrists in the future expanding greatly in terms of providing a primary health service,' said Professor Francesca Coredeiro, one of the authors of the research which appeared in the journal Cell Death and Disease.