Vision Loss News and Research

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UH Eye Institute to use Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System to treat patients with RP

University Hospitals Eye Institute will be one of the first medical centers in the United States to offer the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System.

28 Jun 2013

Advanced optical measures may help predict change in visual acuity, study says

Sophisticated new optical quality metrics can identify older adults likely to have more rapid age-related declines in vision, suggests a study, "Factors Accounting for the 4-Year Change in Acuity in Patients Between 50 and 80 Years", in the July issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

25 Jun 2013

Eylea can ease vision problems for wet AMD patients

There is no cure for age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in older Americans. Last year, the National Institutes of Health reported that two drugs injected into the eyes, Avastin and Lucentis, eased symptoms for sufferers, especially those in the advanced, "wet" stage of the disease, when blood vessels in the eye become swollen and leak fluids in the eye.

19 Jun 2013

NICE Appraisal Committee reconfirms clinical effectiveness of ILUVIEN

Alimera Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research, development and commercialization of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, today announced that the Appraisal Committee of the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued a positive Appraisal Consultation Document on ILUVIEN for the treatment of pseudophakic patients with chronic diabetic macular edema considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies.

14 Jun 2013

Rats born with low birth weights are more likely to develop age-related vision loss, say researchers

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta recently published their findings that rats with restricted growth in the womb, causing low birth weights when born, were most susceptible to developing age-related vision loss, compared to their normal weight counterparts.

13 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: 'Reasonable' debate about health law's 'rate shock; 'absurdity' of Sebelius' account of fund raising; Obama killed the grand bargain

Many of us have been wondering whether it's possible to have an honest, reasonable debate about Obamacare. To my pleasant surprise, one may finally be starting.

7 Jun 2013

EMA grants Sucampo orphan drug designation for unoprostone isopropyl to treat retinitis pigmentosa

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has received orphan drug designation in the European Union for unoprostone isopropyl for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). RP is a genetic disease characterized by progressive, irreversible vision loss and decreasing visual acuity, and there are no drugs or therapeutic procedures currently approved for the treatment of RP today.

29 May 2013

Perceptual learning may hold promise for improving visual functions in people with central vision loss

Perceptual learning techniques may provide a useful new approach to rehabilitation in patients with central vision loss-taking advantage of visual plasticity that persists even in old age, according to a special article in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

28 May 2013

New book proposes ways to help people see better with macular degeneration, low vision

Dr. Randolph C. Kinkade , a Connecticut optometrist and founding member of the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists, has written the Guide for Macular Degeneration Eyeglasses: Low Vision Treatment.

10 May 2013

Massachusetts hospital performs first cornea transplant with pre-loaded donor tissue

The first successful cornea transplant with donor endothelial tissue preloaded by an eye bank has been performed at Massachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston, Mass. Roberto Pineda II, M.D., Director of the Refractive Surgery Service at Mass. Eye and Ear, and an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, recently performed the groundbreaking transplant.

8 May 2013

Ocular tuberculosis presents a diagnostic challenge

Mycobacterial ocular inflammation typically arises without concomitant systemic or pulmonary disease and should be suspected in patients who do not respond to anti-inflammatory therapy.

29 Apr 2013

Acucela begins phase 2b/3 clinical trial of emixustat hydrochloride to treat GA associated with dry AMD

Acucela Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing new treatments for sight threatening eye diseases, today announced that a phase 2b/3 clinical trial investigating emixustat hydrochloride in subjects with geographic atrophy associated with dry age-related macular degeneration has been initiated.

25 Apr 2013

Methodist Hospital will soon have new brain and pituitary tumor treatment center

Brain and pituitary tumor patients will soon have access to a state-of-the-art facility at The Methodist Hospital, a result of a $10 million dollar commitment from a Houston oil executive.

24 Apr 2013

Implant improves vision for patients suffering from macular degeneration

Physicians at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center have become the first in Virginia to successfully implant a telescope in a patient's eye to treat macular degeneration.

16 Apr 2013

New combination therapy could help restore vision

Researchers have discovered that using two kinds of therapy in tandem may be a knockout combo against inherited disorders that cause blindness. While their study focused on man's best friend, the treatment could help restore vision in people, too.

10 Apr 2013

Genes for blood vessel growth in retina are "switched on" by SRF protein

Normal functioning of the eye depends on a proper supply of blood to the retina. Light entering the eye passes through the cornea, the lens, and the vitreous body before reaching the retina, where it stimulates the nerves.

9 Apr 2013

Amakem backs new Chair of Ophthalmology Translational Research at KU Leuven

Amakem NV, a kinase platform company focusing on ophthalmology, today announces it has sponsored a new Chair of Ophthalmology Translational Research at the Catholic University Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium.

8 Apr 2013

DSEK surgical procedure for perfect vision

Since she was a child Sarah Mittler knew exactly what she wanted to do−be a wife and mother. She and her husband, Tom, were living their dream of a life complete with five kids, two dogs and a packed schedule of activities, until Sarah's vision started to deteriorate.

5 Apr 2013

Despite discovery of sight-saving drugs, AMD still causes severe vision loss in older Americans

Age-related macular degeneration continues to be the leading cause of visual impairment in the United States for people over age 65, according to a study recently published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

4 Apr 2013

Lund University researchers examine why people suffer vision loss in eye diseases

Using new technology and new approaches, researchers at Lund University in Sweden hope to be able to explain why people suffer vision loss in eye diseases such as retinal detachment and glaucoma.