At the 2025 meeting of the American Academy of Optometry, Mark Eltis presented on vision decline and cognitive health. Here he discusses key takeaways.

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Hi, I'm Dr. Mark Eltis, and I just had the pleasure of presenting at the Academy with my esteemed colleague, Dr. Christina Chen, who is a professor at the Mayo Clinic. She focuses on geriatrics, and together we spoke about vision and cognitive health—specifically, the optometrist’s role in reducing dementia risk and maintaining independence in older adults.

We discussed how to identify dementia and cognitive decline in patients, and the actions optometrists can take. Dr. Chen also shared some striking statistics: 50 million people worldwide live with dementia, and 1 in 4 older adults are affected by cognitive impairment.

Interestingly, there is a 4-fold increase in the likelihood of cognitive impairment when vision issues are present. Many of these vision issues—such as cataracts and glaucoma—are actually preventable and are conditions we manage routinely as optometrists.

We also highlighted the optometrist's role in recognizing signs of cognitive decline. In fact, there are medications—some we prescribe regularly, and others that are commonly used by patients —that may contribute to both dry eye symptoms and cognitive issues. When patients present with dry eye along with cognitive complaints, it’s worth considering that their medications might be playing a role. I thought this was one of the most valuable takeaways from the lecture.

The bottom line is this: by treating your patients’ vision issues, you're also helping to prevent or slow cognitive decline—ultimately improving their overall health. This ties in with a point I emphasized during the talk: a natural and holistic approach to patient care, especially in the areas of glaucoma and dry eye. OM

Dr. Chen was incredibly insightful, and it was truly a pleasure to speak alongside her at the American Academy of Optometry in Boston. OM