Blindness News and Research

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Gene therapy that reverses blindness in dogs could also help treat humans

A Michigan State University veterinary ophthalmologist has modified a gene therapy that reverses blindness in dogs that have a certain form of a disease known as progressive retinal atrophy, or PRA, and is now looking to advance the treatment for human use.

18 May 2018

California’s deadly STD epidemic sets record

Diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases hit a record high in California last year — with sometimes deadly consequences, according to preliminary state data released this week.

17 May 2018

Researchers transplant retinal sheets derived from human embryonic stem cells in retinal degeneration mouse models

Researchers affiliated with the Kawasaki INnovation Gateway at SKYFRONT have developed new mouse models of retinal degeneration that enable transplantation of retinal sheets derived from human embryonic stem cells.

17 May 2018

Siemens Healthineers and Hill-Rom join to provide comprehensive solutions for primary diabetes care

Siemens Healthineers and Hill-Rom signed a co-marketing agreement to provide a suite of point-of-care diagnostic instruments that, for the first time, enable primary healthcare providers in the U.S. to bridge gaps in diabetes care and satisfy value-based quality measures in a single office visit.

From Siemens Healthineers Point of Care Diagnostics 16 May 2018

New lab-on-a-chip device shows promise in treating retinal diseases

Houston Methodist researchers developed a new lab-on-a-chip technology that could quickly screen possible drugs to repair damaged neuron and retinal connections, like what is seen in people with macular degeneration or who've had too much exposure to the glare of electronic screens.

10 May 2018

New AI algorithm can accurately diagnose cause of childhood blindness

An algorithm that uses artificial intelligence can automatically and more accurately diagnose a potentially devastating cause of childhood blindness than most expert physicians, a paper published in JAMA Ophthalmology suggests.

3 May 2018

New strategy found to delay onset of blindness in mice

More than 2 million people worldwide live with inherited and untreatable retinal conditions, including retinitis pigmentosa, which slowly erodes vision.

2 May 2018

Researchers develop new methods to diagnose glaucoma and detect disease progression

Two new research studies demonstrate that imaging technologies can help to diagnose and detect the progression of glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S.

2 May 2018

New studies show potential for using genetic information to create personalized vision care

Two new studies demonstrate potential future opportunities to use genetic information to treat vision conditions. The new studies are being presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Honolulu, Hawaii, Sunday, April 29 – Thursday, May 3.

30 Apr 2018

Sweet potato-fortified bread may help fight vitamin A deficiency in Africa

You won't find sweet potatoes growing in South Dakota fields, but sweet potato-fortified bread developed at South Dakota State University might help fight vitamin A deficiency in Africa.

27 Apr 2018

MU researchers use new techniques to fight against diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a retinal microvascular disease that often causes blindness in adults who have had diabetes mellitus for 10 years or more. Estimates are that 600 million people will have some sort of diabetic retinopathy by 2040.

25 Apr 2018

Meningitis in Newborns: What to Look Out For

Claire is Evidence & Policy Manager at the UK and international charity Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF). She discusses the signs and symptoms of meningitis in newborns, and the aims for the recent diagnostic eTool developed by the MRF.

24 Apr 2018

Tattoo sensor: A needleless glucose monitor for diabetes patients

For Angela Valdez, being diagnosed with diabetes was an awakening. The disorder ran in her family, but she didn't think it would happen to her. And when it did, she acted by modifying her diet and physical activity. She was doing everything right--almost.

20 Apr 2018

Human brain processes sight and sound in the same way, shows study

Although sight is a much different sense than sound, Georgetown University Medical Center neuroscientists have found that the human brain learns to make sense of these stimuli in the same way.

19 Apr 2018

Researchers use smartphone to diagnose people infected with Loa loa worm

The Berkeley researchers figured out that they could quickly determine who has the Loa loa worm using a smartphone, customized to work like a microscope. They could then skip the medication for those people and give it to everyone else. Kamgno, who received the latest version of the phones in 2016, dubbed the mobile microscopes "revolutionary."

19 Apr 2018

Faith-based diabetes support program launched by UTSA research team

Researchers at The University of Texas at San Antonio are taking diabetes education to church. Through the Building a Healthy Temple program, they're working with Hispanics who have type 2 diabetes to help them manage the disease and develop a healthier lifestyle.

18 Apr 2018

FDA approves marketing of AI device to detect diabetic retinopathy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday (11th of April 2018), released a statement approving the marketing of world’s first artificial intelligence using medical device that can detect diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients.

12 Apr 2018

FDA authorizes marketing of first AI device to detect diabetic retinopathy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today permitted marketing of the first medical device to use artificial intelligence to detect greater than a mild level of the eye disease diabetic retinopathy in adults who have diabetes.

12 Apr 2018

Telemedicine enables accurate detection of devastating cause of blindness in premature babies

Accurately detecting a rare, but devastating cause of blindness in premature babies can be done as effectively with telemedicine as with traditional, in-person eye exams, a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology suggests. This is believed to be the first study to directly compare the two approaches.

6 Apr 2018

Weekly nutrition education improves diabetes management

Prescriptions are not enough--diet changes and nutrition education make the difference in people with diabetes, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

6 Apr 2018