Retinal Vascular Abnormalities in Cerebrovascular and Neurodegenerative Disorders

Dysfunction of blood-retina barrier and blood-brain barrier occur simultaneously and thus play a central role in the development of retinal and cerebral microangiopathy. Retinal imaging is suitable to directly and non-invasively assess the health of the cerebral vasculature and to detect early vascular changes. Ocular fundus photography is one of the most accessible tools to study cerebrovascular disorders and dementia2, since retinal vascular abnormalities are linked to small vessel brain disease, global cognitive function and amyloid-β deposition in Alzheimer's disease (AD).