Ocular motility of aging and dementia

Abstract

Visual complaints in patients with dementia are varied and attributable to both visual sensory (afferent) and ocular motor (efferent) dysfunction. This review focuses exclusively on the efferent visual dysfunction associated with dementia and aging. It provides a brief overview of the most common ocular motility disturbances associated with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diffuse Lewy body disease, corticobasal syndrome, progressive supranuclear palsy, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and others. An introduction to the six eye movement systems and the terminology associated with the evaluation of each system are reviewed. Assessment of efferent visual function in patients with dementia may be challenging, but familiarity with the potential pathologic eye movement findings in patients with dementia will allow for a focused assessment, diagnosis, and treatment when possible.