Ophthalmology News and Research

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Ophthalmology is the specialized field of medicine that focuses on the health of the eye. It includes the anatomy, physiology and diseases that may affect the eye. Historically, the science of ophthalmology encompassed all aspects of visual function, both in health and in illness. Additionally, ophthalmology also includes animal eyes as ocular function and optic diseases are similar among humans and animals.

Cataract surgery reduces rate of fractures in older patients with vision loss

A major study of Medicare beneficiaries shows that the risk of hip fractures was significantly reduced in patients who had had cataract surgery, compared to patients who did not undergo the procedure. Published in the August edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) the researchers believe their study is the first to demonstrate that cataract surgery reduces the rate of fractures in older patients with vision loss.

2 Aug 2012

Scientists identify new gene responsible for genetic form of blindness in newborns

One of the mysteries of blindness has been solved. A team of international scientists in collaboration with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) identified a new gene responsible for Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), a devastating genetic form of blindness in newborns.

30 Jul 2012

New compound effective at blocking damage to the retina in diabetic retinopathy

Researchers at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center have identified a compound that could interrupt the chain of events that cause damage to the retina in diabetic retinopathy. The finding is significant because it could lead to a novel therapy that targets two mechanisms at the root of the disease: inflammation and the weakening of the blood barrier that protects the retina.

30 Jul 2012

Long-term use of reverse geometry lenses may induce inflammatory response

Continuous long-term overnight use of reverse geometry lenses results in a significantly increased presence of inflammatory mediators compared with wearing 30-night silicone-hydrogel contact lenses or wearing no lenses, show study results.

27 Jul 2012

Insomnia: an interview with Dr Darryle Schoepp

Insomnia is a very common disorder. In medical terms it can affect a third of people. It affects elderly as well as non-elderly people, and is more common in women.

26 Jul 2012

AAQ chemical temporarily restores vision in blind mice

A team of University of California, Berkeley, scientists in collaboration with researchers at the University of Munich and University of Washington in Seattle has discovered a chemical that temporarily restores some vision to blind mice, and is working on an improved compound that may someday allow people with degenerative blindness to see again.

26 Jul 2012

Early-age cataract surgery increases central corneal thickness

When congenital cataract surgery is performed at an early age, central corneal thickness increases, show study results published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

25 Jul 2012

Microneedles can deliver drug formulations into the eye

Thanks to tiny microneedles, eye doctors may soon have a better way to treat diseases such as macular degeneration that affect tissues in the back of the eye. That could be important as the population ages and develops more eye-related illnesses - and as pharmaceutical companies develop new drugs that otherwise could only be administered by injecting into the eye with a hypodermic needle.

24 Jul 2012

Tiny microneedles to treat macular degeneration

23 Jul 2012

RPB awards $110,000 grant to Mass. Eye and Ear and HMS for research into blinding diseases

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has awarded a grant of $110,000 to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases. The research will be directed by Joan W. Miller, M.D., Chief of the Mass. Eye and Ear and Mass. General Hospital's Departments of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

21 Jul 2012

Risk factors defined for retinal detachment after cataract surgery

Study results spanning 22 years show that the risk for retinal detachment after undergoing phacoemulsification for cataracts has fallen dramatically, but that younger, and male patients are more at risk for this adverse outcome than their older, female peers.

20 Jul 2012

Otsuka, Acucela commence rebamipide ophthalmic suspension Phase 3 trial in dry eye syndrome

Acucela Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing new treatments for blinding eye diseases, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., today announced the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate rebamipide ophthalmic suspension in patients with dry eye syndrome.

19 Jul 2012

U.S. News & World Report names U-M among 2012 America's Best Hospitals

The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers offer the best care in Michigan and some of the nation's best care, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

18 Jul 2012

Glaucoma monitoring important in corneal dystrophy

The prevalence of glaucoma and/or ocular hypertension is more frequent in individuals with severe Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy than those without the condition, suggesting the importance of glaucoma screening in such patients, suggest US researchers.

18 Jul 2012

U.S. News & World Report names UCLA Medical Center among 2012 America's Best Hospitals

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks among the top five American hospitals, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey that reviewed patient-outcomes data, reputation among physicians and other care-related factors.

18 Jul 2012

Nanofiber scaffolds regenerate protein components in cartilage repair

Johns Hopkins tissue engineers have used tiny, artificial fiber scaffolds thousands of times smaller than a human hair to help coax stem cells into developing into cartilage, the shock-absorbing lining of elbows and knees that often wears thin from injury or age. Reporting online June 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigators produce an important component of cartilage in both laboratory and animal models.

18 Jul 2012

U.S. News & World Report names Mayo Clinic among 2012 America's Best Hospitals

Mayo Clinic ranked near the top of the 23rd U.S. News & World Report annual America's Best Hospital list, earning the No. 3 overall spot on its "Best Hospitals" list. Mayo Clinic in Rochester also was rated best in the nation in three clinical areas -- gynecology, diabetes and endocrinology, and gastroenterology.

18 Jul 2012