Retinal sublayer changes in cases with Alzheimer's disease and depression.

Cross-sectionalGraefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie· Jul 2026

Retinal sublayer changes in cases with Alzheimer's disease and depression.

Mohammad Reza Talebnejad, Zahra Zia, Vahid Reza Ostovan … M Hossein Nowroozzadeh

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RetinaCross-sectionalDiagnosisQ1IF 3.1

Ganglion cell layer volume is lower in Alzheimer's disease patients than healthy controls

Retinal sublayer changes in cases with Alzheimer's disease and depression.

Mohammad Reza Talebnejad … M Hossein Nowroozzadeh

Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology · Jul 2026 · Q1 in Ophthalmology

Purpose

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and depression are two prevalent conditions in the elderly population, both of which may impact the structure or function of the visual pathway.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included two groups: 50 individuals with mild to moderate AD and 50 age-matched healthy controls (healthy controls).

n = 50 individuals

Results

brain-linked eye tissue is thinner in Alzheimer's, hinting at nerve loss

1.043mm³

HC GCL volume

0.981mm³

AD GCL volume

More results

Depression severity correlated negatively with GCL volume (ρ = - 0.260, P = 0.009).

In stepwise regression analysis, Mini-Mental State Examination score was more strongly associated with GCL volume than depression status and entered the model as the main predictor (β = 0.489, P < 0.001).

More results

The Mini-Mental State Examination × depression interaction term was also significant (β = -0.213, P = 0.020), indicating that depression modified the association between cognitive impairment and GCL thinning.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

AD and depression in the elderly can influence the thickness of inner retinal layers, with dementia appearing to have a more pronounced effect than depression.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

These retinal changes may have important implications not only for the early diagnosis and monitoring of AD, but also for the accuracy of Optical Coherence Tomography-based detection of early glaucoma in patients with coexisting neuropsychiatric disorders-particularly in those with AD, where reliable visual field testing may also be challenging.

Retinal sublayer changes in cases with Alzheimer's disease and depression.

Retinal sublayer changes in cases with Alzheimer's disease and depression.

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