Blindness News and Research

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Salicylates drugs reduce proliferation, viability of cultured vestibular schwannoma cells

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology have demonstrated that salicylates, a class of non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), reduced the proliferation and viability of cultured vestibular schwannoma cells that cause a sometimes lethal intracranial tumor that typically causes hearing loss and tinnitus.

9 Feb 2015

RPB co-sponsors major IOM study to promote eye health

Research to Prevent Blindness, the leading nonprofit driver of research toward cures and treatments for all blinding disorders, is co-sponsoring a major Institute of Medicine study entitled "Public Health Approaches to Reduce Vision Impairment and Promote Eye Health."

8 Feb 2015

New study shows that 25% of homeless people in Toronto have vision problems

Twenty-five per cent of homeless people surveyed in Toronto had vision problems up to and including blindness, four times higher than the rate of the overall population in North America, a new study by St. Michael's Hospital has found.

6 Feb 2015

New Johns Hopkins research suggests that vitamin A may protect children against malaria

Children under age 5 living in sub-Saharan Africa were 54 percent less likely to develop malaria if they had been given a single large dose of vitamin A, new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

4 Feb 2015

Reversing effects of early stage age-related macular degeneration may be possible

A new technique reported in the February 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that during early stages, it might be possible to reverse age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness that is currently irreversible. The treatment involving a nanosecond laser may also have further implications for other eye diseases such as diabetic macular oedema, diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.

3 Feb 2015

IRIDEX Cyclo G6 Laser System receives FDA clearance for treatment of glaucoma

IRIDEX Corporation today announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its first laser system designed solely for use in treating glaucoma and its symptoms. Specifically, the Company was granted 510(k) clearance for the IRIDEX Cyclo G6 Laser System (with delivery devices).

2 Feb 2015

Project Spark to advance neuroprotective drug for schizophrenia-associated cognitive impairment

A public-private consortium led by the biotech Iproteos -based at Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB)-, and comprised by the biopharmaceutical company Ascil-Biopharma, the Institute for Biomedical Research (IRB Barcelona), the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has launched a project to advance the development of a new neuroprotective drug for the treatment of the cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

31 Jan 2015

Researchers identify molecular mechanisms that can prevent blindness, promote recovery from stroke

Research led by Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd Professor, Ernest C. and Yvette C. Villere Chair of Retinal Degeneration Research, and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health New Orleans, has discovered gene interactions that determine whether cells live or die in such conditions as age-related macular degeneration and ischemic stroke.

31 Jan 2015

New study shows mechanism behind tubulin transport in cilia

Defective cilia can lead to a host of diseases and conditions in the human body--from rare, inherited bone malformations to blindness, male infertility, kidney disease and obesity. Scientists knew that somehow these tiny cell organelles become deformed and cause these diseases because of a problem related to their assembly, which requires the translocation of vast quantities of the vital cell protein tubulin.

28 Jan 2015

Pollinator decline could increase risk of malnutrition, disease

A new study shows that more than half the people in some developing countries could become newly at risk for malnutrition if crop-pollinating animals -- like bees -- continue to decline.

28 Jan 2015

Researchers devise novel way to generate corneal stem cells for treating corneal blindness

Researchers in the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute have devised a novel way to generate transplantable corneal stem cells that may eventually benefit patients suffering from life-altering forms of blindness.

28 Jan 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

University of Colorado, Mile High Ophthalmics sign licensing agreement for new cataract surgery device

A new device designed to perform safer, more effective cataract surgery is going on the market following a licensing agreement between the University of Colorado and Mile High Ophthalmics LLC.

27 Jan 2015

Research findings may accelerate work to safely control diabetes

For those with diabetes, managing blood sugar is a balancing act -- if blood sugar is too high it raises the risk for nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, and heart trouble, and if too low it can lead to a seizure or unconsciousness.

24 Jan 2015

New Baylor research explores novel non-invasive technology for pediatric eye exams

Picture a toddler getting his first eye exam. He's seated in a strange room, with strange instruments and strange bright lights. He can't sit still or open his eyes long enough for that diagnostic poof of air - especially if he has trouble seeing anyway, as children with achromatopsia do.

23 Jan 2015

Microscopic spheres of calcium phosphate linked to AMD development

Microscopic spheres of calcium phosphate have been linked to the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of blindness, by UCL-led research.

21 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

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

Scientists explore how the brain adapts to visual restoration

Recent scientific advances have meant that eyesight can be partially restored to those who previously would have been blind for life. However, scientists at the University of Montreal and the University of Trento have discovered that the rewiring of the senses that occurs in the brains of the long-term blind means that visual restoration may never be complete.

19 Jan 2015

Researchers uncover new gene tied to incurable eye disorder

An exhaustive hereditary analysis of a large Louisiana family with vision issues has uncovered a new gene tied to an incurable eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa, according to an examination led by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

16 Jan 2015

Blindness News and Research

Salicylates drugs reduce proliferation, viability of cultured vestibular schwannoma cells

RPB co-sponsors major IOM study to promote eye health

New study shows that 25% of homeless people in Toronto have vision problems

New Johns Hopkins research suggests that vitamin A may protect children against malaria

Reversing effects of early stage age-related macular degeneration may be possible

IRIDEX Cyclo G6 Laser System receives FDA clearance for treatment of glaucoma

Project Spark to advance neuroprotective drug for schizophrenia-associated cognitive impairment

Researchers identify molecular mechanisms that can prevent blindness, promote recovery from stroke

New study shows mechanism behind tubulin transport in cilia

Pollinator decline could increase risk of malnutrition, disease

Researchers devise novel way to generate corneal stem cells for treating corneal blindness

Tackling preventable blindness: a House of Commons reception review

University of Colorado, Mile High Ophthalmics sign licensing agreement for new cataract surgery device

Research findings may accelerate work to safely control diabetes

New Baylor research explores novel non-invasive technology for pediatric eye exams

Microscopic spheres of calcium phosphate linked to AMD development

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

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

Scientists explore how the brain adapts to visual restoration

Researchers uncover new gene tied to incurable eye disorder

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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