04/03/2026
Problems with memory are the most common symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, but did you know around 1 in 20 people with Alzheimer’s have different early symptoms?
This is called ‘atypical’ Alzheimer’s disease, and one type is posterior cortical atrophy (PCA).
For we wanted to share some of the signs and symptoms of this less-common type of dementia.
At first, PCA mainly affects the back of the brain, which is the part of the brain that processes information that comes from a person’s eyes and turns it into what the person sees.
That means that the first signs someone might notice are often subtle problems with their vision.
This graphic shows some examples of what that might look like.
Once someone starts to notice symptoms, it can take a long time to confirm that sight problems are caused by damage to the brain rather than by eye problems.
Sadly, this means there may be a delay of several months or even years before the person gets an accurate diagnosis of PCA, which can cause a lot of frustration and worry.
If you notice these symptoms in yourself or someone else, it’s really important to speak to your GP.
And if you’d like more support, advice or information, give our Dementia Support Line a call on 0333 150 3456.
