Hillary Clinton slams suggestions she needs neurological test despite bizarre video showing her eyes moving ‘out-of-sync’
The Democrat, 68, insists her 'excessive' health puts her rival Donald Trump's in the shade
PRESIDENTIAL hopeful Hillary Clinton has ruled out taking a brain test during a TV interview about the elevated risk of dementia among older people.
The under-fire Democrat said 'there's no need for that' when she was being grilled about having a check by ABC anchor Sarina Fazan during an interview in Orlando.
The calls for a test came after a bizarre video was posted on the internet showing Clinton looking 'cock-eyed'. Doctors say eye problems can be an early sign of a degenerative disease.
Clinton, 68, at first joked when asked if she would take 'some neurocognitive test' given the elevated risks for degenerative disease because of her age.
"I'm very sorry I got pneumonia," laughed Clinton. "I'm very glad that antibiotics took care of it. And that's behind us now.
"I've met the standard that everybody running for president has met in terms of releasing information about my health."
When pressed by Fazan, who revealed her brother is a neurosurgeon who once operated on a member of her staff, Clinton stood fast.
"There's no need for that. The information is very clear. And the information, as I said, meets the standards that every other person running for president has ever had to meet – and I'm happy that we've met and even exceeded them in certain ways," she said.
And Clinton said her health puts that of her opponent Donald Trump's, 70, totally in the shade.
"I have to say, my opponent has not met that standard. So I am very happy that we have put out all the information that there is, that reflects on my health. And I am physically, mentally healthy and fit to be president of the United States," she declared.
Blogger John Binder wrote that Clinton 'appeared to have something quite off about her appearance.'
He added: "Hillary’s eyes appeared not in-sync with one another, as the left eye looked to be cock-eyed and displaced, especially as she looked towards the left."
Clinton's comments provided the latest information on the state of candidate health and disclosure in the hotly-contested race to be President.
She acknowledged getting pneumonia after she stumbled following a Sept. 11th ceremony she had to leave early in New York and subsequently released a letter from Clinton's physician stating that she is 'recovering well with antibiotics and rest.'
"She continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as President of the United States,"wrote the physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack.
Why the eyes can be a window to the mind
Regular eye check-ups can help diagnose early signs of dementia - years before symptoms develop.
A new study has found the thinning of the retinal nerve at the back of the eye can flag up impending neuro-degeneration.
A protein called beta-amyloid builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease - forming into clumps and causing memory loss and confusion.
It's known to accumulate in the retina and has been previously investigated as a potential marker for the condition.
The researchers carried out a type of eye scan called spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) on over 33,000 british participants aged 40 to 69.
Dr Fang Ko, of Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, said: "Our findings show a clear association between thinner macular RNFL and poor cognition in the study population.
"This demonstrates the potential utility of the eye as a non-invasive measure of neuronal loss which is linked to cognitive performance and provides a possible new biomarker for studies of neuro-degeneration."
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's is essential to developing effective treatments that do more than alleviate the condition's symptoms.
The latest findings presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2016 in Toronto could lead to people being screened for dementia - and even be used as part of an individual's regular eye check-up.