Alzheimer’s In The Eyes

Clues about your brain health might be sitting in plain sight at the back of your eye. Let's dig into a surprising idea with big implications for healthy aging: Alzheimer’s disease may be visible in the eyes before classic memory symptoms appear. Because the retina is neural tissue, the eye and brain are deeply connected. This makes retinal changes a promising area for early Alzheimer’s screening and prevention-focused care.

We walk through how retinal imaging works and why researchers are paying attention to amyloid beta plaque patterns in the retina. We also zoom out to the bigger clinical question: if early detection is possible, what can we do with that information? That leads us into an integrative medicine lens, including insights from Dr. Dale Bredesen’s work, in which plaque buildup can be viewed as a response to multiple stressors rather than a single cause.

From there, we get practical. We cover potential drivers like chronic inflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, free radical damage, environmental toxins and heavy metals, leaky gut, poor sleep, and obesity as a major modifiable dementia risk factor. We emphasize movement and exercise for cognition, call out trans fats as a clear “no,” and share a nutrition-forward strategy with brain-supportive foods (think avocados, blueberries, cold-water fish, mushrooms, green tea, walnuts) plus targeted nutrients often used in holistic eye care and cognitive support.

The nutrients best for the brain are: acetyl L-carnitine, ashwagandha, cucamin, DHA, fish oils, ginkgo baloba, hydrogen water, NMN, phosphatidylserine, PQQ, N-acetylcysteine, resveratrol, olive leaf extract, and vinpocetine. All these nutrients can be found on naturaleycare.com. Eat a diet rich in the best brain foods: avocados, blueberries and other dark berries, dark grapes, dark chocolate, cold water fish, goji berries, green and black teas, reiki, shiitake & lion's mane mushrooms, pomegranates, prunes, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

If you care about Alzheimer’s prevention, retinal scans, and actionable lifestyle steps that support both eye health and brain health, listen now, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review.

Transcript

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Welcome And Natural Eye Care Mission

SPEAKER_01 0:05

This is the Natural Eye Care Podcast, hosted by leading holistic optometrist Dr. Mark R. Grossman. Senior citizens are at the highest risk of developing macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, dry eye, and more. The Natural Eye Care Podcast provides complementary and natural approaches to vision problems, eye health, and overall health. Find out how lifestyle, diet, and nutrition can help maintain healthy vision and even improve eyesight. Dr. Grossman has degrees in optometry, biology, physical education, and learning disabilities. He has co-authored the book Natural Eye Care, Your Guide to Healthy Vision and Healing. Dr. Grossman.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

I'm Dr. Mark Grossman, integrative medical optometrist, acupuncturist, author of five books on natural eye care, and in practice for over 43 years.

Why Alzheimer’s Can Appear In Eyes

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Today's podcast is on why Alzheimer's disease is visible in the eyes. The eyes and the brain are more closely linked than you might realize. Amyloid beta plaque, the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, starts building up in the eyes for a long time before obvious symptoms of dementia appear. Early detection of this brain disease is crucial for slowing its progression. If we can screen the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease, then we can do preventative measures. Doctors can screen for Alzheimer's disease by running a retinal scan. Why? The eyes are neural tissue. Remember, I always say embryologically, physiologically, neurologically, the eye is brain tissue. And if we believe in the neuroplasticity

Retinal Imaging And Amyloid Plaque

SPEAKER_00 1:56

of the brain, then we can have neuroplasticity of the eyes too. Therefore, what is good for the eyes is also good for the brain. Based on scientific research, natural eye care has recommendations for keeping both your brain and your eyes healthier as you age. And you can also see that we have books on research on both keeping your brain and your eyes healthy. We take a holistic approach to Alzheimer's prevention and management. Early detection, lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise are all very, very important to healthy aging. The eyes mirror the brain. Why does Alzheimer's show up in the eyes? Retinal imaging has gained popularity for detecting Alzheimer's disease in its early stages. A machine that takes a high-quality image of the inner back surface of the eyes, beta amyloid plaque in the image indicates the possibility of Alzheimer's disease. This technique can also detect diabetic renopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Normal amounts of beta amyloid are helpful to brain functioning. The problem is when beta amyloid aggregates into plaques and accumulates in the brain.

Root Causes Behind Plaque Buildup

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Dr. Dale Bresden, author of The End of Alzheimer's Disease, theorizes that the buildup of waste in the brain of Alzheimer's disease is the body's attempt to deal with imbalances. This may include a lack of essential nutrients, chronic inflammation, exposure to toxins, and hormonal imbalances. What are some of the possible underlying causes of Alzheimer's disease? Inflammation of the brain. Damage to the blood brain barrier. The blood brain barrier protects unwanted materials from reaching the brain. Acting as a gatekeeper, this barrier allows nutrients in, and the barrier can be damaged by heart disease, genetics, poor blood flow to the brain, injuries, and chronic inflammation. That's why nutrients such as the molecular hydrogen and NMN are helpful. Free radical damage can cause Alzheimer's disease. Heavy metals and other environmental toxins. Even your gut, leaky gut syndrome, can allow toxins and bacteria to leak into the bloodstream. Poor sleep and bad sleep habits can affect the amyloid beta cells. Obesity, a body mass index above 30, is now considered to be the most modifiable risk factor for dementia in the USA.

Integrative Steps Exercise And Avoiding Trans Fats

SPEAKER_00 4:42

So what is an integrative medical approach to Alzheimer's disease and eye wellness? Of course, exercise. Move, move, move. Moving your body protects and enhances cognition. It also makes you more coordinated. A rare genetic form of early onset Alzheimer's disease was delayed with just 2.5 hours of physical activity a week. In fact, a four-minute workout by Dr. Zach Bush that you can look up online will also be really beneficial to getting your blood moving. Trans fatty acids. Bad, bad, bad. Certain processed foods have this dangerous fat, including most fast foods, commercial frostings, margarine, and crackers. Aim to get brain nutrients in your food, drinks, and supplements.

Brain Nutrients Supplements And Best Foods

SPEAKER_00 5:34

The best for the brain, acetyl L-carnitine, ashawanganda, cucamin, DHA, fish oils, ginkgo baloba, hydrogen water, NMN, phosphatyl serine, PQQ, N acetylcysteine, reversatrol, olive leaf extract, and vinposetine. All these nutrients can be found on naturaleycare.com. Eat a diet rich in the best brain foods. What are the good foods? My number one food I try to eat almost every day are the avocados, yum yum yum, blueberries, and other dark berries, the dark grapes, dark chocolate, fish, the cold water fish, goji berries, green and black teas, mushrooms, reiki, shiitake, lion's mane, pomegranate, prunes, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

Testing Resources And How To Connect

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Ask your doctor to check for nutritional deficiencies in your blood. Visit us at naturaleecare.com for guidance to help your brain and your eyes have a great day.

SPEAKER_01 6:47

For more information, visit naturaleycare.com and drgrossman2020.com. Our email address is info at naturaley care.com. If you have any questions, call us 845-475-4158. And if you don't already subscribe to this podcast, please subscribe and review us.