Blindness News and Research

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New AAV 3.0 program to create next-generation viral vectors for better treatment of inherited diseases

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has launched a new program, called AAV 3.0, to create new viral vectors to find quicker and better treatments for an array of diseases. James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, a professor of Medicine and director of the Orphan Disease Center, will lead an interdisciplinary team of over 30 scientists to create this new technology platform with support provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

30 Jun 2016

Experts compile model list of essential diagnostic tests aiming to improve global health

In a western doctor's office or hospital, patients don't think twice about giving a blood or urine sample that can tell if they have a disease or infection, or show if their medicines are working. The samples get rushed to a testing lab with modern equipment that's held to high quality standards.

30 Jun 2016

Pain reliever appears to help preserve vision in animal model of retinal degeneration

A pain medicine that potently activates a receptor vital to a healthy retina appears to help preserve vision in a model of severe retinal degeneration, scientists report.

28 Jun 2016

Latest online version of German Diabetes Risk Score optimized for mobile devices

The German Institute of Human Nutrition has updated the online version of its German Diabetes Risk Score and has optimized it for mobile devices.

23 Jun 2016

Study estimates real-world prevalence of myopic choroidal neovascularization in the U.S.

A new study estimates that 9.6 million adults in the United States are highly myopic, or severely nearsighted. Of those, nearly 820,000 have a degenerative form of the disease and more than 41,000 suffer a complication called myopic choroidal neovascularization that could cause long-term vision loss, with women at higher risk.

22 Jun 2016

Delayed healing linked to weaker electrical currents in diabetic wounds

People with diabetes often suffer from wounds that are slow to heal and can lead to ulcers, gangrene and amputation. New research from an international group led by Min Zhao, professor of ophthalmology and of dermatology at the University of California, Davis, shows that, in animal models of diabetes, slow healing is associated with weaker electrical currents in wounds.

17 Jun 2016

Researchers develop new method to combat VR sickness

Columbia Engineering Professor Steven K. Feiner and Ajoy Fernandes MS'16 have developed a method of combating virtual reality (VR) sickness that can be applied to consumer head-worn VR displays, such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Sony PlayStation VR, and Google Cardboard.

15 Jun 2016

Darapladib drug can protect against vision loss in diabetic patients

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast and University College London have discovered that a drug, originally developed to treat cardiovascular disease, has the potential to reduce diabetes related blindness.

14 Jun 2016

Scientists identify gene linked to severe glaucoma in children

Northwestern Medicine and University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have identified a gene that causes severe glaucoma in children.

13 Jun 2016

Scientists developing cost-effective retinal scanner for early diagnosis of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy

A European group of scientists are working on the development of a breakthrough, compact, cost-effective retinal scanner that will play a key role in targeting the early diagnosis of retinal diseases that are worldwide leading causes of blindness.

13 Jun 2016

Controlling corneal blindness by 2030: an interview with Dr Pravin Vaddavalli

Corneal blindness is estimated to be the second most prevalent cause of blindness in many less developed countries. Globally, bilateral corneal blindness is estimated to afflict 4.9 million persons and accounts for 12% of 39 million blind, utilizing WHO 2010 global blindness data.

13 Jun 2016

Dishwasher and laundry capsules pose threat to children

Parents are being warned of the major health risks of children mistaking potentially harmful dishwasher and laundry capsules for sweets, after figures showed at least one case is happening every day.

7 Jun 2016

New study identifies PDGFRα as key molecule for HCMV viral entry

A publication in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology identifies PDGFRα as the receptor for the trimeric gHgLgO complex of Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV).

7 Jun 2016

Few commercial weight loss programs show promise of benefit for diabetic patients

Johns Hopkins scientists who indirectly investigated the blood sugar effects of 10 (out of 32 selected) commercial weight loss programs say a few show promise of benefit for diabetic patients, but far more rigorous research is needed before doctors can wholeheartedly recommend them.

3 Jun 2016

Vision Express advises Britons to be 'sun safe' when choosing eyewear

Britons are putting their sight at risk – potentially exposing themselves to cataracts and macular degeneration – by choosing vanity over UV protection when buying sunglasses, new research from Vision Express has revealed.

From Vision Express 26 May 2016

Zika virus infection may cause ocular problems in Brazilian infants with microcephaly

Researchers studying babies with a Zika virus-related birth defect say they have found previously unreported eye problems possibly linked to the virus that could result in severe visual impairment.

25 May 2016

NIH-funded study finds visual impairment, blindness may double by 2050

With the youngest of the baby boomers hitting 65 by 2029, the number of people with visual impairment or blindness in the United States is expected to double to more than 8 million by 2050, according to projections based on the most recent census data and from studies funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

23 May 2016

Researchers use high-power prisms to design new eyeglasses to expand visual fields of hemianopia patients

Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School have designed three new eyeglasses using high-power prisms to optimally expand the visual fields of patients with hemianopia, a condition in which the visual fields of both eyes are cut by half.

18 May 2016

Potential new intraocular treatment based on RAS manipulation can prevent or reverse diabetic retinopathy

Pathologic changes of the retina caused by diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working adults. Diabetic retinopathy has no known cure, treatment options are inadequate, and prevention strategies offer limited protection. In the first of its kind, a report in The American Journal of Pathology describes a potential new intraocular treatment based on manipulating the renin angiotensin system (RAS) that both prevents and reverses some characteristics of diabetic retinopathy in a mouse model.

10 May 2016

New study shows Ebola survivors may be at risk of severe vision loss

A new study has shown that Ebola survivors may be at risk of severe vision loss or blindness weeks after being declared virus-free. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology this week in Seattle, Wash.

5 May 2016

Blindness News and Research

New AAV 3.0 program to create next-generation viral vectors for better treatment of inherited diseases

Experts compile model list of essential diagnostic tests aiming to improve global health

Pain reliever appears to help preserve vision in animal model of retinal degeneration

Latest online version of German Diabetes Risk Score optimized for mobile devices

Study estimates real-world prevalence of myopic choroidal neovascularization in the U.S.

Delayed healing linked to weaker electrical currents in diabetic wounds

Researchers develop new method to combat VR sickness

Darapladib drug can protect against vision loss in diabetic patients

Scientists identify gene linked to severe glaucoma in children

Scientists developing cost-effective retinal scanner for early diagnosis of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy

Controlling corneal blindness by 2030: an interview with Dr Pravin Vaddavalli

Dishwasher and laundry capsules pose threat to children

New study identifies PDGFRα as key molecule for HCMV viral entry

Few commercial weight loss programs show promise of benefit for diabetic patients

Vision Express advises Britons to be 'sun safe' when choosing eyewear

Zika virus infection may cause ocular problems in Brazilian infants with microcephaly

NIH-funded study finds visual impairment, blindness may double by 2050

Researchers use high-power prisms to design new eyeglasses to expand visual fields of hemianopia patients

Potential new intraocular treatment based on RAS manipulation can prevent or reverse diabetic retinopathy

New study shows Ebola survivors may be at risk of severe vision loss

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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