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Retinal Manifestations of Alzheimer's Disease

Presented by Victoria Pelak, M.D., Neuro-ophthalmologist and Professor of Nuerology and Ophthalmology at Anschutz School of Medicine

CRA's 2026 Mile High Masters of Retina meeting

This pre-recorded talk covers how Alzheimer’s disease can present with subtle ocular changes, from retinal nerve fiber layer thinning to vascular alterations, and what these signs mean for early detection and patient care. This session equips general eye care providers with practical insights to recognize, monitor, and refer patients appropriately, bridging eye health and systemic disease awareness.

Objectives:

• Update the current definition of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and available biomarkers for AD
• Provide background of retinal pathology and optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal imaging findings in AD
• Understand the potential future use of retinal OCT and other retinal imaging biomarkers in AD

SLIDE DECK

CLINICAL PEARLS:

1. Alzheimer's Disease- biologically defined by biomarkers for symptomatic people
2. Alzheimer's Disease- associated with post-mortem inner retinal degeneration (retinal ganglion cells and their axons) and AD proteinopathies
3. Alzheimer's Disease- in vivo OCT retinal imaging can detect inner retinal thinning but lacks diagnostic accuracy
4. Community populations (unknown biomarker status): associations between OCT inner retinal thinning and future cognitive decline
5. Future: spectral retinal imaging promising to detect Alzheimer's Disease proteinopathies
6. Visual symptoms due to Alzheimer Disease stem from visual brain dysfunction