11/06/2025
La importancia de realizarnos revisiones de fondo de ojo adecuadas: no sólo nos aseguramos una buena salud visual, además nos ayuda a afrontar mejor preparados nuestro futuro. En enfermedades como el Parkinson y el Alzheimer un tratamiento precoz nos da calidad de vida. La evidencia clínica de estos biomarcadores es una gran noticia.
👀 A Simple Eye Exam May Detect Parkinson’s Years Before Symptoms Appear 👇🏻
A new study from Université Laval reveals that a routine eye exam could one day help detect Parkinson’s disease long before visible symptoms arise. Published in Neurobiology of Disease, the research shows that the retinas of people with early-stage Parkinson’s respond to light differently compared to healthy individuals—suggesting a potential non-invasive method for early diagnosis.
Parkinson’s is typically diagnosed after motor symptoms, like tremors or stiffness, become disruptive—by which time significant brain cell damage has already occurred. “That’s why we need early biomarkers,” says lead author Professor Martin Lévesque. His team recorded retinal responses to various light flashes in 20 people with early Parkinson’s and compared them to healthy controls. The results revealed a unique retinal signature linked to the disease.
To validate their findings, the team tested transgenic mice predisposed to Parkinson’s. Even in animals without outward symptoms, the retinal responses mirrored those seen in human patients—strengthening the case for the eye as a diagnostic tool.
Because the retina is part of the central nervous system, it offers a rare window into brain health. Lévesque suggests that regular retinal scans from age 50 could help catch Parkinson’s in its silent phase—enabling earlier interventions and potentially slowing disease progression.
This promising breakthrough may transform how Parkinson’s is detected and monitored, offering a simple and accessible test to safeguard brain health years before motor decline begins.
RESEARCH PAPER 📄
Victoria Soto Linan et al., "Early detection of Parkinson’s disease: Retinal functional impairments as potential biomarkers.", Neurobiology of Disease (2025)
