Having cataracts raises your risk of getting dementia, study reveals

PEOPLE with certain eye conditions have an increased risk of dementia, a study found.

Those with age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetes- related eye disease are most likely to suffer.

Researchers also found people with diabetes, heart disease, stroke and depression were at risk.

They examined data of 12,000-plus British adults aged 55 to 73 from 2006, 2010 and early this year — and found more than 2,300 cases of dementia.

Age-related macular degeneration created a 26 per cent higher risk, cataracts 11 per cent and diabetes-related eye disease 61 per cent.

The international study’s findings come as Alzheimer’s Research UK said public willingness to get involved with medical research is at an “all-time high” — at 29 per cent.

Chief exec Hilary Evans called it “positive news".