WELCOME TO JOHNS HOPKINS HEALTH ALERTS!

This free public service from Johns Hopkins Medicine helps keep you up to date on the latest breakthroughs for the most common medical conditions which prevent healthy aging. Browse all the articles via the Health Alert Topics navigation bar on the right, or read the headlines below.


Get the latest news sent straight to your Inbox. Register now for your FREE Johns Hopkins Health Alerts. Check the boxes below for all the topics you are interested in, enter your email address, and click "Send." It's fast, easy, and FREE.   Benefits of Being A Registered User

Enter your email here: (Example: yourname@domain.com)
Please send my alerts as:

We value your privacy and will never rent your email address.Already a Member? Manage your Health Alerts


Johns Hopkins Health Alert

Understanding the Symptoms of VVAD: A Variant of Alzheimer's Disease

Comments (0)

Patients with VVAD experience visual comprehension problems, which can’t be fixed with glasses or surgery.

Where are those darn car keys? Why can’t I remember her name? Fears of Alzheimer’s disease have us all second-guessing even the most routine of memory lapses. Indeed, impaired memory is one of the classic early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

But in a few people, memory problems aren’t the first sign of trouble. Instead, the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease is a problem with vision, or more accurately, a problem with visual comprehension. A person in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease may end up in an ophthalmologist’s office complaining, "I can’t see,” or even, "I can see, but I can’t read or write.” Depth perception may be off, leading to falls and other accidents.

People with these symptoms may have what’s known as the visual variant of Alzheimer's disease, or VVAD. While VVAD is relatively uncommon today, it is expected to become more prevalent as the U.S. population ages and more people develop Alzheimer’s disease. Because the visual comprehension problems come first in VVAD, ahead of those related to memory, people who are affected may consult an ophthalmologist first, thinking that they just need new glasses or even cataract surgery.

Whenever a person claims that he or she "can’t see,” an ophthalmologist begins by assessing the person’s visual acuity and visual fields. While some people with VVAD do show some degree of visual field loss, others have normal eye exams. In a study of eight patients with VVAD, for instance, only half had any visual field loss. Moreover, the person’s visual acuity may be as good as 20/20. In other words, the problem is not that people with VVAD can’t see what’s in front of them, it’s that their brains aren’t accurately processing the information.

Once an ophthalmologist suspects VVAD, the individual will be referred to a neurologist for further evaluation and treatment. While the visual symptoms may be the initial -- or in rare cases, the only -- sign of Alzheimer’s disease, it does appear that most people with VVAD go on to develop the classic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, including impaired memory and personality changes.

It’s also important to note that many people with Alzheimer’s disease who first experience memory problems typically develop visual problems later on. For instance, these Alzheimer’s disease patients often develop problems with contrast sensitivity or visual attention. Contrast sensitivity involves the ability to detect different shades of gray. It’s an important consideration with nighttime driving, for instance, but it also helps us "read” complex surfaces.

Visual attention has several components: It refers to our ability to detect and identify objects in space, to pay attention to two things at once, and to tune into one type of information while ignoring other less important types of information. Problems with contrast sensitivity and visual attention play a role in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, such as problems with driving a car. Later on, they contribute to such well-known problems as being unable to recognize faces or navigate familiar places. As with VVAD, it’s important for family members to understand that the person’s visual problems are part of the Alzheimer’s disease and can’t be fixed with glasses or surgery.

Posted in Memory on April 2, 2007
Reviewed June 2011


Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer


Notify Me

Would you like us to inform you when we post new Memory Health Alerts?

Post a Comment

Comments

Health Alerts registered users may post comments and share experiences here at their own discretion. We regret that questions on individual health concerns to the Johns Hopkins editors cannot be answered in this space.

The views expressed here do not constitute medical advice, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins Medicine or Remedy Health Media, LLC, which has no responsibility for any comments posted on this site.


Post a Comment


Already a subscriber?

Login

Forgot your password?

New to Johns Hopkins Health Alerts?

Register to submit your comments.

(example: yourname@domain.com)

(800) 829-0422

Registered Users Log-in:

Forgot Password?

Become a Registered User!
It's fast and FREE!
The Benefits of Being a Registered User

Health Topic Pages

  • Health Alert
  • Special Report

What is this?

XML


Johns Hopkins’ Memory Bestsellers

Our Featured Title:

The Johns Hopkins Memory Disorders Bulletin

The Johns Hopkins Memory Disorders Bulletin is a quarterly publication that gathers the most current information on preserving memory and coping with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other forms of memory loss at every stage. Each issue is like having an in-depth consultation with a leading specialist from America's #1 Medical Center. PLUS subscribe now and receive 4 FREE Special Reports as INSTANT PDF DOWNLOADS:

  • Special Report #1: Nutrition and Brain Power
  • Special Report #2: Medications and the Brain
  • Special Report #3: The 36 Hour Day: A Caregivers Report
  • Special Report #4: Memory Boosters

Read more or order The Johns Hopkins Memory Bulletin.

Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Guide for the Home Caregiver

Written by two world-renowned Alzheimer’s specialists -- Dr. Peter Rabins and Dr. Ann Morrison, this practical 134-page guide provides detailed advice on how to successfully manage your day-to-day responsibilities – to your patient and to yourself. Chapters include: When It’s Time to Take Away the Car Keys, Personal Care for the Dementia Patient, Dealing with Alzheimer’s Troubling Behavior Problems, Dealing with Alzheimer’s Troubling Behavior Problems, Deciding to Move a Loved One into Residential Care. And when you order now, you’ll also receive a free bonus report, entitled Caregivers Ask the Expert: Questions from Alzheimer’s Caregivers Answered by Johns Hopkins Expert Peter V. Rabins, M.D., M.P.H.
Read more or order Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Guide for the Home Caregiver

Diagnosing and Treating Alzheimer's Disease

Written by Dr. Peter V. Rabins, Director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Medical Editor of the Johns Hopkins Memory Bulletin, Diagnosing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease is an indispensable resource for anyone concerned about Alzheimer’s disease. This new report provides all the facts you need to make informed decisions if you have to confront Alzheimer’s disease. You’ll learn how Alzheimer’s is currently diagnosed … the existing drugs that are used to treat it … and various new therapies that may some day provide better treatment. Read more or order Diagnosing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

Johns Hopkins White Papers

The 2011 Johns Hopkins White Papers

2011 Memory White Paper

Featured highlights for 2011 include: promising new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease that are in clinical trials right now; the latest research on mild cognitive impairment. Is it early AD? Does it always become AD?; a new imaging agent – Pittsburgh Compound B – that may revolutionize detection of dementia; how depression and your emotions affect your mental acuity; Diagnosing AD: How accurate are today’s tests, and could a new, low-tech test improve accuracy?; how the normal brain ages: a memory timeline; quick fixes that block the everyday assaults on your memory; and much more.
PLUS, get your special discount and FREE Special Report: Secrets of a Fade-Proof Memory through this exclusive web-only offer.
Read more or order the INSTANT PDF DOWNLOAD EDITION
Read more or order the PRINT EDITION

The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50
When you're over 50, it's more important than ever to have access to reliable health information. You won't find a more authoritative source than The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50. Read more or order now to get two FREE Special Reports when you order...