Normal Optic Nerve Head Topography in the Early Stages of Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

In view of the existing controversy as to whether or not the optic nerve head (ONH) is altered in Alzheimer disease, we used modern imaging technology to evaluate the ONH structure in individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Real-time topographical images of the ONH were obtained with a Heidelberg retina tomograph from individuals in the early stages of DAT and age-matched controls. The various ONH parameters examined in this study did not differ significantly between DAT and age-matched subjects. These results suggest that the deficits in visual function that are known to occur in DAT are not related to ONH structural anomalies, at least in the earlier stages of the disease.