Eye firm, Optos, develops Alzheimer test

Fife-based retinal imaging company Optos has reported positive results in a screening test for Alzheimer's.

The purpose was to find out whether a simple eye test could be used to screen patients for the dementia.

It found a "highly significant" association between changes to the retina of the eye and the disease.

The "optomap" screening test, which was carried out by a team of scientists, was looking for drusen, which are tiny yellow or white spots on the retina.

Optos said further work was being planned to investigate whether these spots signalled changes in the nervous system which have been attributed to the cause of Alzheimer's.

Roy Davis, chief executive of Optos, said: "This latest study adds to a growing body of clinical data that supports our conviction that the optomap has a crucial role to play in the detection and monitoring of a number of diseases."

Optos shares rose more than 2% on the news of the test results.