What if we could measure the progress of multiple sclerosis with a simple “glance”? This is what Viennese researchers promise who have developed a retinal test that would be able to predict the intensity of future flare-ups.
This is called having the compass in the eye! Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna recently developed a retinal test to measure the severity of multiple sclerosis (SEP), results published in the scientific journal Neurology (in English, link below). A degenerative disease which affects 110,000 French people (article in link below), MS has the particularity of evolving at a different rate depending on the patient, making it difficult to assess the progression of the disease. This is manifested by ” pushes during which new symptoms appear. Scientists have spotted when examining the blood vessels of the retina that this membrane located at the back of the eye becomes thinner after each flare. So far nothing new since eye damage (optic neuritis, for example) is one of the most common symptoms.
Flares that affect the retina
On the other hand, the team led by Gabriel Bsteh and Thomas Berger realized that the thinning of the retina could predict the severity of future attacks and therefore the probability of disability for the patient. Damage to this part of the eye due to relapse of the disease, which often go unnoticed by patient eyes would reflect the extent of damage in the brain. The analyzes carried out on 167 of them made it possible to show that the loss of about five micrometers in thickness of the retinal layer ” is equivalent to a doubling of the risk of permanent disability at the next relapse ».
A proven technology
« We found a new biomarker that opens a window into the brain “, welcomed Gabriel Bsteh. Big news for medical research? Perhaps because this test, “ easy to perform and non-invasive could allow doctors to choose the right treatment for the stage of the disease and therefore promises to improve the lives of patients. To achieve this, the researchers used optical coherence tomography (OCT), a modern eye imaging process, which allows cross-sectional images of the eye to be obtained in a few seconds via infrared light. The tool has already proven itself in the diagnosis of diseases where the retina is central, glaucoma or diabetes, for example. ” The technique for predicting the evolution of MS is therefore already available to us. concludes Gabriel Bsteh. It remains to implement it!
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