An apparatus to produce an image of amyloid-beta plaques in an eye of a patient, comprising: - an optical head that includes a digital camera, a plurality of imaging optics, a plurality of illumination source optics and a camera housing with a perimeter that houses said digital camera, plurality of imaging optics and said illumination source optics - either a slit lamp chinrest and joystick assembly that includes an adjustable head support, a movable base, a joystick that adjusts a position of said camera housing relative to said head support and a housing support that mounts said optical head; or a hand-held assembly that includes the optical head and a hand grip for operation; - a rubber eyecup that provides an interface between said camera housing and said patient's eye that protrudes outward from said perimeter to hold eye lids open; and - a computer system that (a) includes a live viewing image display window that is configured to display a live video image having an amyloid-beta plaque, an amyloid, a drusen, an amyloid containing deposit, or an amyloid-beta peptide, and is configured to (b) provide a plurality of alignment aids, (c) process data, and (d) control said optical head and said digital camera and said illumination source optics, wherein said apparatus is configured to be utilized in combination with one or more components that are selected from the group consisting of a spectrometer, a fluorescence microscope, a stereomicroscope, a mercury arc lamp, a variable wavelength light source, a xenon arc lamp, an LED light, a tunable light source or swept source, a CCD gated camera, a color digital camera, an acoustic-optic tunable filter-based spectral image acquisition system, a plurality of adaptive optics, imaging software and any combinations thereof, wherein said apparatus is configured to detect by spectral analysis a spectral reflectance signature of said amyloid-beta plaque, said amyloid, said drusen, said amyloid containing deposit, or said amyloid-beta peptide, from a data set utilizing image processing. - an optical head that includes a digital camera, a plurality of imaging optics, a plurality of illumination source optics and a camera housing with a perimeter that houses said digital camera, plurality of imaging optics and said illumination source optics - either a slit lamp chinrest and joystick assembly that includes an adjustable head support, a movable base, a joystick that adjusts a position of said camera housing relative to said head support and a housing support that mounts said optical head; or a hand-held assembly that includes the optical head and a hand grip for operation; - a rubber eyecup that provides an interface between said camera housing and said patient's eye that protrudes outward from said perimeter to hold eye lids open; and - a computer system that (a) includes a live viewing image display window that is configured to display a live video image having an amyloid-beta plaque, an amyloid, a drusen, an amyloid containing deposit, or an amyloid-beta peptide, and is configured to (b) provide a plurality of alignment aids, (c) process data, and (d) control said optical head and said digital camera and said illumination source optics, wherein said apparatus is configured to be utilized in combination with one or more components that are selected from the group consisting of a spectrometer, a fluorescence microscope, a stereomicroscope, a mercury arc lamp, a variable wavelength light source, a xenon arc lamp, an LED light, a tunable light source or swept source, a CCD gated camera, a color digital camera, an acoustic-optic tunable filter-based spectral image acquisition system, a plurality of adaptive optics, imaging software and any combinations thereof, wherein said apparatus is configured to detect by spectral analysis a spectral reflectance signature of said amyloid-beta plaque, said amyloid, said drusen, said amyloid containing deposit, or said amyloid-beta peptide, from a data set utilizing image processing.