CLEVELAND, Ohio — Three area institutions — Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals and MetroHealth Medical Center — will use a $2.9 million National Institutes of Health grant to examine the impact of vision problems on Alzheimer’s patients.
The five-year study will look at Alzheimer’s patients who also have cataracts and document how better vision improves their quality of life.
People with dementia lose their ability to see objects that are of lower contrasts to the areas around them. But boosting the contrast helps patients move around their homes and better perform everyday tasks, according to research from CWRU dean Grover “Cleve” Gilmore, who will be the principal investigator on the study. Researchers also say some studies report that Alzheimer’s patients’ conditions improve after cataract surgery.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Half of the 210 patients in this study will receive cataract surgery while the rest will delay the procedure for six months while researchers gather information about quality of life and activity levels, according to a release from CWRU.
Researchers think that this study may help identify warning signs for Alzheimer’s by tracking the thickness of the retina — a part of the eye that is an extension of the brain — and seeing if that is connected with the advance of Alzheimer’s.
