Approved Research

Retinal findings in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Lay summary

Retina and eye are extension of the brain. Studies have linked changes in retina of patients with neurologic diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Studies have also suggested changes in retina of autistic patients compared to normal population. In this study we are planning to study retinal imaging findings in autistic patients and compare this to the normal population.

The main aim of this study is to compare retinal imaging findings in autistic patients compared to normal controls and to correlate these differences to patient's cognitive function. We believe that results of this study will lead to development of new biomarkers for earlier diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. After obtaining data form the UK BioBank, we will spend 3months analyzing images and an additional 3months to perform statistical analysis.