Blindness News and Research

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People living with diabetes to increase up to 435 million by 2030

The latest International Diabetes Federation (IDF) data reveals that over 285 million people worldwide now live with diabetes and this number will explode to 435 million by 2030. This staggering figure does not capture the toll the disease takes on the individual. Unlike other diseases, people with diabetes are responsible for 95% of their own care and many are doing so without the proper skills and knowledge to do so.

21 Oct 2009

Retinal prosthesis restores partial vision to people who are totally blind

Two experimental treatments, a retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant, restored some vision to people with blinding eye diseases. The findings, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health, may lead to new treatments for the blind. Researchers also reported that an engineered protein restored vision in an animal model and identified ways to improve stem cell treatments.

21 Oct 2009

Human neural stem cells protect cone photoreceptors: StemCells preclinical data

StemCells, Inc. announced today new preclinical data showing that its human neural stem cells protect cone photoreceptors (cones) in the eye from progressive degeneration and preserve visual function long term.

20 Oct 2009

Diabetes represents a global health threat

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) released new data today showing that a staggering 285 million people worldwide have diabetes.

20 Oct 2009

Schering-Plough to present data on boceprevir at the AASLD 2009 Annual Meeting

Schering-Plough announced that data on boceprevir, an investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor, will be reported in an oral presentation at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Annual Meeting in Boston, Oct. 30-Nov. 3.

19 Oct 2009

QLT receives exclusive U.S. sales and marketing rights for Visudyne therapy

QLT Inc. ("QLT" or the "Company") today announced that it has restructured its agreement with Novartis Pharma AG ("Novartis") to simplify the relationship, under which, effective January 1, 2010, it will, among other things, receive exclusive U.S. rights to the Visudyne(R) patents to sell and market Visudyne in the U.S. Visudyne, a photosensitizer co-developed with Novartis, is approved worldwide for the treatment of a form of wet age-related macular degeneration ("AMD"), the leading cause of legal blindness in people over the age of 55 in North America and Europe.

19 Oct 2009

Gloomy health care statistics in Texas top state news

New outlets report on a variety of health issues at the state level including gloomy health statistics and the rising cost of premiums for sick workers in Texas, a Medicaid program that could provide a model for national health care reform in North Carolina and Medicaid cuts in Michigan.

19 Oct 2009

Researchers to study gastric banding procedure on overweight, type 2 diabetic patients

In the first trial of its kind in the world, researchers at Monash University's Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) will examine the benefits of a gastric banding procedure on overweight people with Type 2 diabetes.

15 Oct 2009

Vision scientists identify an intricate process that allows the human eye to adapt quickly to darkness

Ever wonder how your eyes adjust during a blackout? When we go from light to near total darkness, cells in the retina must quickly adjust. Vision scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified an intricate process that allows the human eye to adapt to darkness very quickly. The same process also allows the eye to function in bright light.

14 Oct 2009

Antisense Therapeutics completes repeat-dosing toxicology studies for ATL1103

Antisense Therapeutics Limited is pleased to announce that the Company has now completed repeat-dosing toxicology studies for ATL1103 in two species -- mouse and non-human primate. Draft study reports from the study contractors in the United States have been received, and the toxicology outcomes from these studies support ANP's plans for the continued development of ATL1103.

14 Oct 2009

Merck Frosst Canada's JANUMET receives Notice of Compliance in Canada

Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. announced today that its new diabetes treatment, JANUMET(TM) (sitagliptin/metformin HCI, MSD), has received Notice of Compliance (NoC) in Canada.

13 Oct 2009

Increasing number of pre-term infants experience eye disorders

As more extremely pre-term infants survive in Sweden, an increasing number of babies are experiencing vision problems caused by abnormalities involving the retina, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Oct 2009

Common myths about children's eye health and the medical reality behind them

Many parents grew up with medical adages or advice that have since been proven by scientists to be incorrect or outdated. Here are five common myths about children's eye health and the medical reality behind them, prepared by the physicians at The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

12 Oct 2009

Controlled trial comparing Bevacizumab to Ranibizumab finds no difference in efficacy

Investigators from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the VA Boston Healthcare System have shown, at 6 months in a small group of patients, that there is no difference in efficacy between Bevacizumab (Avastin) and Ranibizumab (Lucentis) for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

9 Oct 2009

Destructive immune cells gain access to insulin-producing cells and help cause diabetes

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have discovered how destructive immune cells gain access to insulin-producing cells and help cause diabetes.

9 Oct 2009

Valensa initiates licensing patent for the use of the astaxanthin as a dietary supplement

Valensa International (Orlando, FL USA) announced today that it has initiated a broad out licensing effort for University of Illinois patent (US 5,527,533 and its foreign equivalents) for the use of the astaxanthin in eye healthcare dietary supplement applications.

8 Oct 2009

Macuclear and Mystic announce groundbreaking results from Phase Ib Clinical Trial for Macular Degeneration

MacuCLEAR, Inc. and Mystic Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today preliminary successful results of a Phase Ib Clinical Trial for the treatment and prevention of the progression of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The preliminary results indicated that MacuCLEAR’s MC-1101 drug is safe and well tolerated by study participants, and has a biological effect on blood flow in the back of the retina.

8 Oct 2009

Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research to study vision impairment and blindness

Real-time biomedical studies of factors leading to vision impairment are now possible through the world's largest ocular research center at Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research.

8 Oct 2009

World Sight Day to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment

World Sight Day, celebrated on October 8th, is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment as a major public health issue. World Sight Day is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under the global initiative of VISION 2020. This year, the theme for World Sight Day is Gender and Eye Health.

8 Oct 2009

Government of Alberta reimburses first medication to improve vision and restore quality of life

Alberta residents with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss over the age of 50, have received a dose of good news with the decision by Alberta Health and Wellness to reimburse the innovative treatment Lucentis* (ranibizumab) on the Alberta Blue Cross insurance plan.

6 Oct 2009

Blindness News and Research

People living with diabetes to increase up to 435 million by 2030

Retinal prosthesis restores partial vision to people who are totally blind

Human neural stem cells protect cone photoreceptors: StemCells preclinical data

Diabetes represents a global health threat

Schering-Plough to present data on boceprevir at the AASLD 2009 Annual Meeting

QLT receives exclusive U.S. sales and marketing rights for Visudyne therapy

Gloomy health care statistics in Texas top state news

Researchers to study gastric banding procedure on overweight, type 2 diabetic patients

Vision scientists identify an intricate process that allows the human eye to adapt quickly to darkness

Antisense Therapeutics completes repeat-dosing toxicology studies for ATL1103

Merck Frosst Canada's JANUMET receives Notice of Compliance in Canada

Increasing number of pre-term infants experience eye disorders

Common myths about children's eye health and the medical reality behind them

Controlled trial comparing Bevacizumab to Ranibizumab finds no difference in efficacy

Destructive immune cells gain access to insulin-producing cells and help cause diabetes

Valensa initiates licensing patent for the use of the astaxanthin as a dietary supplement

Macuclear and Mystic announce groundbreaking results from Phase Ib Clinical Trial for Macular Degeneration

Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research to study vision impairment and blindness

World Sight Day to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment

Government of Alberta reimburses first medication to improve vision and restore quality of life

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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