Closeup of an eye

You may already know that the size of your temporalis muscle, which helps to open and close your jaw, has been linked to dementia risk.

That’s because a smaller temporalis is often a sign of muscle loss (sarcopenia), which seems to be linked to the condition.

Additionally, sight loss has long been associated with an increased likelihood of developing dementia.

And now, researchers from New Zealand think that the blood vessel health and even thickness of your retina (a layer of tissue at the back of your eye which helps you to process light) could reveal your dementia risk in midlife, too.

What does retina blood vessel health have to do with dementia risk?

Three years ago, the University of Otago researchers published a study which looked at the thickness of participants’ retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layers (GCL).

They tested people in midlife (most of whom were 45) and found a link between thinning in a middle-aged person’s retina and decreased........

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