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The diagnosis for Alzheimer's might soon be just a simple eye test, scientists claim.

Researchers from Lancaster University have discovered that those with the degenerative brain disease have difficulty with one particular test, which could act as an indicator.

They also said that the inability to perform in the tests among those already diagnosed with Alzheimer's was linked to lower memory function.

This research is the first of its kind that reveals a physical connection with memory impairment, one of the very first symptoms of Alzheimer's.

"The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is currently heavily dependent on the results of a series of lengthy neuropsychological tests. However, patients with a dementia often find that these tests are difficult to complete due to a lack of clear understanding and lapse in their attention or motivation," Dr. Crawford, of the department of Psychology and the Centre for Ageing Research, Lancaster University, was quoted by The Telegraph.

"Over the last 10 years, researchers in laboratories around the world have been working on an alternative approach based on the brain's control of the movements of the eye as a tool for investigating cognitive abilities, such as attention, cognitive inhibition and memory."

For the study, the researchers asked 18 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 25 patients with Parkinson's disease, 17 healthy young people and 18 healthy older people to follow the movements of light on a computer monitor.

At times, they were also asked to look away from the light. With the help of detailed eye-tracking measurements, the stark contrasts in results could be tracked.

It was found that patients with Alzheimer's made errors 10 times more frequently on the task when they were asked to look away from the light and were unable to correct those errors even though they were responding normally while looking toward the light.

Also, researchers found that there was a lowered memory function among those Alzheimer's patients who found the test difficult.

"The light tracking test could play a vital role in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's," Dr. Crawford added.