One of my favourite books is a Christmas present given to me when I was about 15 years old. Written in the late 1970s and based on the science TV series, Tomorrow’s World Looks to the Future, offered a wealth of predictions about how science and technology would change as the years passed. On some things the book was remarkably accurate, for example, the use of wind and waves to generate our electricity. However, other predictions, such as an increasing reliance on robots allowing us to all enjoy much greater leisure times, were a little wide of the mark.
There have been a number of breakthroughs in eye care, which were highlighted in Optician over the years that have had similarly varied impact. It was clear from the start that OCT would be a major player in community clinics; something which surprised many manufacturers who initially solely targeted hospital clinics. Other technologies I was enthusiastic about have had less impact. We are yet to see, for example, the routine use of crystalline lens fluorescence to screen for diabetes.
For many years, we have published articles looking at scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, such as offered by Optos instruments. These systems are able to detect small deposits across the retina, one of the first signs of amyloid-plaque-related degenerative dementia diseases. My initial excitement about eye tests being one of the ways we might be better able to screen for Alzheimer’s disease was tempered by those who argued that there was no point in early detection of a disease for which there was no cure. Indeed, early diagnosis might have a negative impact on life.
Not anymore. News that the new drug lecanemab is proving successful in slowing Alzheimer’s disease, if introduced at an early stage, surely means that retinal screening for dementia is back on the agenda.
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