Vision Loss News and Research

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Worldwide data reveal gaps in elderly eye care

Worldwide eye examination rates among older adults are very low, despite this age group being recommended to have an eye test at least every 1–2 years, say researchers from Canada.

10 Aug 2012

TXNIP protein provides best available target for therapies against diabetes, Wolfram syndrome

Inflammation and cell stress play important roles in the death of insulin-secreting cells and are major factors in diabetes. Cell stress also plays a role in Wolfram syndrome, a rare, genetic disorder that afflicts children with many symptoms, including juvenile-onset diabetes.

8 Aug 2012

$Cataract surgery reduces rate of fractures in older patients with vision loss$

Cataract surgery reduces rate of fractures in older patients with vision loss

A major study of Medicare beneficiaries shows that the risk of hip fractures was significantly reduced in patients who had had cataract surgery, compared to patients who did not undergo the procedure. Published in the August edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) the researchers believe their study is the first to demonstrate that cataract surgery reduces the rate of fractures in older patients with vision loss.

2 Aug 2012

Dosimetry data from SalutarisMD episcleral brachytherapy device clinical study on wet AMD

At the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Annual Meeting yesterday, Russell J. Hamilton, PhD, Professor and Physics Section Head, University of Arizona Department of Radiation Oncology, reviewed dosimetry data for a minimally invasive episcleral brachytherapy device developed by Salutaris Medical Devices, Inc. (SalutarisMD) to treat Wet AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness.

30 Jul 2012

Researchers isolate elusive human gene that causes NMNAT1-related Leber congenital amaurosis

Researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division and their collaborators have isolated an elusive human gene that causes a common form of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a relatively rare but devastating form of early-onset blindness. The new LCA gene is called NMNAT1.

30 Jul 2012

AHAF announces glaucoma and macular degeneration research grants

The American Health Assistance Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a history of funding breakthrough research on age-related vision diseases, announced today that it has awarded 21 new grants totaling $2.1 million to scientists worldwide who are studying glaucoma and macular degeneration. The two conditions are the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the world.

26 Jul 2012

RPB awards $110,000 grant to Mass. Eye and Ear and HMS for research into blinding diseases

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has awarded a grant of $110,000 to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases. The research will be directed by Joan W. Miller, M.D., Chief of the Mass. Eye and Ear and Mass. General Hospital's Departments of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

21 Jul 2012

Glaucoma monitoring important in corneal dystrophy

The prevalence of glaucoma and/or ocular hypertension is more frequent in individuals with severe Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy than those without the condition, suggesting the importance of glaucoma screening in such patients, suggest US researchers.

18 Jul 2012

Study shows why co-morbid conditions can result in impaired vision

Hypertension frequently coexists in patients with diabetes. A new University of Georgia study shows why the co-morbid conditions can result in impaired vision.

14 Jul 2012

Nottingham researchers to lead Avastin clinical study for AMD

Nottingham researchers are leading a study to test the effectiveness of a controversial drug in the treatment of a common loss of vision.

12 Jul 2012

Study explains why memory improves on a high-DHA diet

We've all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper? Medical researchers at the University of Alberta discovered a possible explanation and just published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

29 Jun 2012

Glaukos receives FDA approval for iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent System

Today, the iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent System, Model GTS100R/L, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This is the first device approved for use in combination with cataract surgery to reduce pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure) in adult patients with mild or moderate open-angle glaucoma and a cataract who are currently being treated with medication to reduce intraocular pressure.

26 Jun 2012

Positive results from Salutaris’ episcleral brachytherapy trial on Wet AMD

Positive results from a trial of episcleral brachytherapy to treat Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (Wet AMD) were presented today at the ARVO Drug and Gene Delivery to the Back of the Eye Conference.

15 Jun 2012

Researchers hope to use experiences of people with long-term T1D to benefit others

Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center, supported by JDRF, have completed a study of 158 people who have lived with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for 50 years or more with eye examinations at Joslin over many decades of follow-up, and have concluded that a high proportion of this unique group of patients developed little to no diabetic eye disease over time.

13 Jun 2012

Type 1 diabetes on the rise among young people in the U.S.

Jeffrey Brewer, president and CEO of JDRF, the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, issued the following statement today in response to a new study showing an increase in T1D among young people in the United States.

13 Jun 2012

VisionCare expands CentraSight telescope implant provider teams

VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc., developer of the first FDA-approved ophthalmic telescope implant indicated to improve vision in patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), announced today the expansion of its CentraSight™ provider teams nationwide.

8 Jun 2012

Ancient berry could protect against diabetic retinopathy

The ancient Tibetan goji berry could help fight blindness caused by long-term diabetes according to studies conducted by University of Sydney researchers.

5 Jun 2012

DHA prevents age-related vision loss in lab tests

An omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, known as DHA, prevented age-related vision loss in lab tests, demonstrates recently published medical research from the University of Alberta.

31 May 2012

Study examines effects of UV-blocking contact lenses on macular pigment density

Blocking the transmission of ultraviolet light (UV) through a contact lens may have an effect in maintaining the eye's macular pigment density, according to new research presented today at the 2012 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference. Existing research suggests that a higher level of macular pigment appears to have a protective effect against age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of severe vision loss for people over the age of 55.

25 May 2012

Human cytomegalovirus associated with neovascular AMD

A team of researchers, including a scientist from the Viral Immunology Center at Georgia State University, have found that a type of herpesvirus infection of the eye is associated with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that causes blindness in the elderly.

22 May 2012