Vision Loss News and Research

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Cataract surgeries deliver 4,567% financial return on investment to society

Cataract surgeries performed over one year eventually save $123.4 billion over 13 years and delivers a 4,567 percent financial return on investment to society according to the results of a cost-utility study, published online today in the Academy's official journal, Ophthalmology, and will be presented on Nov. 17 at the world's largest ophthalmic conference, the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 117th Annual Meeting, in New Orleans. Researchers say that the results prove that healthcare interventions create substantial economic wealth.

16 Nov 2013

High-power blue laser gadgets can cause serious eye damage

A type of high-power blue laser toy readily available over the Internet and increasingly popular among male teens and young adults can cause serious, sometimes irreversible, eye damage, according to a report by investigators from Saudi Arabia’s King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

14 Nov 2013

Researchers study link between vision loss and Alzheimer's disease

An international team of researchers studying the link between vision loss and Alzheimer's disease report that the loss of a particular layer of retinal cells not previously investigated may reveal the disease's presence and provide a new way to track disease progression.

14 Nov 2013

Stem cells from Wolfram syndrome patients used to elucidate beta-cell failure pathway in diabetes

Scientists from the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute and Columbia University Medical Center have used stem cells created from the skin of patients with a rare form of diabetes—Wolfram syndrome—to elucidate an important biochemical pathway for beta-cell failure in diabetes. The findings by Linshan Shang and colleagues were published today in Diabetes.

13 Nov 2013

Researchers look to animal models to better understand human brain function, vision loss

Research released today reveals a new model for a genetic eye disease, and shows how animal models - from fruit flies to armadillos and monkeys - can yield valuable information about the human brain. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.

12 Nov 2013

Research findings may lead to new treatments, approaches for controlling multiple sclerosis

Scientists are gaining a new level of understanding of multiple sclerosis that may lead to new treatments and approaches to controlling the chronic disease, according to new research released today at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.

10 Nov 2013

Study investigates association between preterm birth and later retinal detachment

Children born extremely prematurely have up to a 19 times greater risk of retinal detachment later in life than peers born at term, according to a Swedish study published this month in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

8 Nov 2013

Investigators find potential new target for treatment of low-grade gliomas

Investigators at Johns Hopkins have found a known genetic pathway to be active in many difficult-to-treat pediatric brain tumors called low-grade gliomas, potentially offering a new target for the treatment of these cancers.

7 Nov 2013

Parent's use of digital photography shown as effective tool in diagnosis of retinoblastoma

Can parents use digital cameras and smart phones to potentially screen their children for the most common form of pediatric eye cancer? Baylor University and Harvard Medical School researchers believe so.

7 Nov 2013

Promising technique for treating eye disease proves effective in preclinical studies

A promising technique for treating human eye disease has proven effective in preclinical studies and may lead to new treatments to prevent blindness, according to experiments conducted at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

23 Oct 2013

Key marker in blood and urine identifies genetic mutations in gene responsible for RP

Research led by physician-scientists at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has produced a breakthrough discovery in diagnosing retinitis pigmentosa, a blinding disease that affects about 1 in 4,000 people in the United States.

16 Oct 2013

Researchers make breakthrough discovery in diagnosing retinitis pigmentosa

15 Oct 2013

Statins may increase risk of cataracts among individuals above 30 years old

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cataracts are the number one cause of vision loss in the United States. Nearly 22 million Americans age 40 and over have cataracts, while more than half of individuals age 80 and over suffer from this condition. In a recent study released in JAMA Ophthalmology, it was confirmed that statins, which are typically prescribed to reduce cholesterol and also prevent heart disease, may cause an increased risk for cataracts among individuals ages 30 through 85.

14 Oct 2013

ADAGES III study receives NIH grant to elucidate genetics of glaucoma in African descents

A study led by Robert N. Weinreb, chairman and Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has received a $6.4 million, 5-year grant from the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, to elucidate the genetics of glaucoma in persons of African descent.

12 Oct 2013

Iscreen Vision raises $4.0 million in series B funding round

iScreen Vision, Inc. (www.iscreenvision.com), a leading provider of pediatric vision screening equipment and services, today announced it raised $4.0 million in a Series B funding round led by MB Venture Partners.

9 Oct 2013

New laser provides better treatment for eye diseases in diabetes patients

A new laser is helping experts at the Truhlsen Eye Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center provide better treatment for eye diseases. This advanced laser can prevent blindness for some patients with serious conditions.

24 Sep 2013

Researchers identify gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, has identified a gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over age 50.

17 Sep 2013

Rutgers scientist finds important clue on origins of multiple sclerosis

The search for the cause of multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease that affects up to a half million people in the United States, has confounded researchers and medical professionals for generations. But Steven Schutzer, a physician and scientist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, has now found an important clue why progress has been slow - it appears that most research on the origins of MS has focused on the wrong part of the brain.

11 Sep 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim completes patient enrolment for interferon-free hepatitis C treatment

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the completion of patient enrolment for a Phase IIa clinical trial investigating a new interferon-free, all-oral, direct-acting antiviral combination treatment for patients with genotype-1a chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

10 Sep 2013

Thrombogenics, Bicycle Collaborate On Drugs Targeting Eye Diseases

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5 Sep 2013