Vision Loss News and Research

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NYEE ophthalmologists offer prevention tips to observe AMD Awareness Month

Macular degeneration is a major cause of irreversible vision loss in the United States and around the world. As many as 11 million Americans have some form of macular degeneration.

9 Feb 2015

New study links cell communication pathway to common brain tumors found in children

A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers links a well-known cell communication pathway called Notch to one of the most common -- but overall still rare -- brain tumors found in children.

6 Feb 2015

EyePromise® eye vitamins offers education guide to promote awareness on AMD

Due to the aging Baby Boomer population, AMD, or Age-related Macular Degeneration, is expected to double by the year 2020.

4 Feb 2015

Tackling preventable blindness: a House of Commons reception review

“Macular degeneration is not life threatening, but it is life changing,” these were the words of Michael Valenzia, of the Macular Society at the recent House of Commons Reception held by AMD Alliance International.

27 Jan 2015

Penn, Spark Therapeutics expand strategic relationship to develop treatment for progressive blindness

The University of Pennsylvania has announced an expanded relationship with Spark Therapeutics, a late-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for debilitating, genetic diseases.

21 Jan 2015

Researchers reveal key factor in understanding elevated cancer risk linked to gene therapy

National Institutes of Health researchers have uncovered a key factor in understanding the elevated cancer risk associated with gene therapy. They conducted research on mice with a rare disease similar to one in humans, hoping their findings may eventually help improve gene therapy for humans. Researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of NIH, published their research in the Jan. 20, 2015, online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

21 Jan 2015

Tiny lumps of calcium phosphate may trigger age-related macular degeneration

New research from scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that tiny lumps of calcium phosphate may be an important triggering factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative eye disease that can cause severe vision loss and blindness.

20 Jan 2015

Genetic finding could lead to new treatments for people living with blindness, vision loss

Finding genes for retinal degenerations has immediate benefits for people living with blindness and vision loss, their families, and their physicians. Establishing a genetic cause confirms the clinical diagnosis at the molecular level, helps predict the future visual prognosis, suggests therapies, and allows some patients to join clinical trials. While more than 200 genes for retinal degenerations have been identified, approximately 40-50% of cases remain a mystery.

13 Jan 2015

Glaucoma Awareness Month: Mount Sinai ophthalmologists offer tips for glaucoma prevention

Glaucoma, a degenerative eye disease that causes damage to the optic nerve, is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, according to the World Health Organization. To observe Glaucoma Awareness Month, ophthalmologists at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System are offering tips for prevention and early detection of the condition.

7 Jan 2015

Chronic hypertension increases glaucoma risk

A new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science has found that chronic (long term) hypertension increases a person's susceptibility to glaucoma. These results suggest that doctors should consider a patient's blood pressure levels in managing the potentially blinding eye disorder.

6 Jan 2015

Prostaglandin analogue eye drops reduce risk of vision loss in OAG patients

Prostaglandin analogue eye drops, the most commonly prescribed treatment for glaucoma, can greatly reduce risk of vision loss in people with open angle glaucoma (OAG), one of the leading causes of blindness, according to the first placebo-controlled trial to assess their vision-preserving effect published in The Lancet.

22 Dec 2014

MU researcher recognized as AAAS Fellow for contributions to ophthalmology research

Cataracts, a clouding of the lens in the eye leading to vision loss, affects more than 24 million people in the United States, according to National Institutes of Health estimates. Often linked to the natural process of aging, cataracts are a major cause of blindness worldwide. K. Krishna Sharma, an ophthalmology researcher at the University of Missouri, has worked for more than two decades to study the mechanisms involved in this degenerative disease.

12 Dec 2014

Study reveals how the human brain heals itself after surgical removal of brain tumor

An interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists and neurosurgeons from the University of Rochester has used a new imaging technique to show how the human brain heals itself in just a few weeks following surgical removal of a brain tumor.

11 Dec 2014

Eylea receives Health Canada approval for treatment of CRVO and DME

Bayer Inc. announced today that it has received approval from Health Canada for Eylea (aflibercept, solution for intravitreal injection) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). This new indication comes just six weeks following the October 16th approval of Eylea for the treatment of visual impairment due to macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).

1 Dec 2014

External artificial pancreas improves glucose control, reduces hypoglycemia risk

The world's first clinical trial comparing three alternative treatments for type 1 diabetes was conducted in Montréal by researchers at the IRCM and the University of Montreal, led by endocrinologist Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret.

27 Nov 2014

Peek's smartphone eye examination tool could help tackle blindness

The team behind Peek, the Portable Eye Examination Kit, are calling on the public to help provide a solution to avoidable blindness by increasing access to potentially life-changing new eye health testing equipment.

27 Nov 2014

Adults diagnosed with retinoblastoma as infants perform better on tasks, study finds

Most long-term survivors of retinoblastoma, particularly those who had been diagnosed with tumors by their first birthdays, have normal cognitive function as adults, according to a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study. The research, which appears in the current issue of the journal Cancer, found that the vast majority of survivors work full time, live independently and fulfill other milestones of adult life.

25 Nov 2014