Vision Loss News and Research

RSS

Vigorous exercise can slow down arthritis

Almost 60 percent of Americans age 65 and older suffer from some form of arthritis, a progressive joint disease which is the leading cause of disability in the United States. For more than 1 in 10 sufferers, arthritis makes simple, everyday tasks, from walking up a flight of stairs to bathing and dressing, extremely difficult and by 2010, the disease is expected to affect almost 40 million Americans over age 65, increasing the ranks of senior citizens with disabilities that limit independent living.

7 Apr 2005

Bionic eyes from Stanford

Stanford physicists and eye doctors have teamed up to design a "bionic eye," of sorts. On Feb. 22 in the Journal of Neural Engineering, Daniel Palanker, Alexander Vankov and Phil Huie from the Department of Ophthalmology and the Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory and Stephen Baccus from the Department of Neurobiology published a design of an optoelectronic retinal prosthesis system that can stimulate the retina with resolution corresponding to a visual acuity of 20/80

4 Apr 2005

Preventing eye disease in retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited eye disease that causes visual disability leading to blindness. Over the last 15 years, researchers have pinpointed defects in dozens of genes causing different forms of RP.

22 Mar 2005

High-dose radiation and bone marrow transfer treatments on glaucoma-susceptible mice completely blocked development of glaucoma

In a discovery that could point to new treatments for a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases, Jackson Laboratory researchers have found that high-dose radiation and bone marrow transfer treatments on glaucoma-susceptible mice completely blocked the development of glaucoma, by preventing neurodegeneration.

14 Mar 2005

Gene identified that confers susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration

By combining the tools of high-throughput biology and statistical genetics, scientists at Rockefeller University, Yale University School of Public Health and the National Eye Institute have identified a gene that confers susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of vision loss in the United Sates for those over 60.

14 Mar 2005

Encouraging results in wet age-related macular degeneration study

Novadaq Technologies has announced that Dr. Giovanni Staurenghi, (Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Department of Otorhinolaryngological and Ophthalmological Science University of Milan, Italy), reported preliminary data on 24-patients in an on-going study using the Company's proprietary technology to treat wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

28 Feb 2005

Macular degeneration patients benefit from self-management training

A 12-hour self-management program for individuals with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leads to lasting improvements in mood and function, especially in depressed patients, and decreases the development of clinical depression in AMD patients over time, according to a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Shiley Eye Center study published in the January 2005 Archives of Ophthalmology.

10 Jan 2005

Pegaptanib (Macugen) is an effective treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Results from two concurrent, prospective, double-blind, multi-center clinical trials show that pegaptanib (Macugen), an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, is an effective treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a paper in the Dec. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Macugen was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 17.

30 Dec 2004

Drivers with epilepsy are on the road again

As a result of a worldwide cooperative movement, the absolute driving ban for people with epilepsy (PWE) has been lifted in Japan. Since 1960, people who have epilepsy have been banned from driving in Japan.

22 Dec 2004

Macugen approved for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Eyetech Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer have announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Macugen (pegaptanib sodium injection) for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease associated with aging that destroys central vision.

20 Dec 2004

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from a virus that causes a fatal nervous system disorder, according to research conducted at Brown University and Case Western Reserve University.

18 Nov 2004

Discovery of a new blindness gene

The discovery by a Leeds University scientist of a new blindness gene could help to save the sight of thousands of sufferers of retinal disease which affects premature babies as well as people over 60.

4 Nov 2004

Ruboxistaurin may reduce vision loss from diabetes-induced eye disease

Eli Lilly and Company's investigational compound ruboxistaurin may reduce vision loss from diabetes-induced eye disease, according to new analyses of previously reported data presented at the 2004 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the European Society of Ophthalmology in New Orleans, La.

26 Oct 2004

Herbal, nutritional supplements linked to side effects ranging from dry eye to retinal hemorrhages and transient visual loss

An estimated 42 percent of Americans use herbal medicines or nutritional supplements. Many people taking these products and their physicians are unaware of the adverse reactions they can cause.

13 Oct 2004

Academy of Ophthalmology reacts to recent study on eye exams for children

Sean Donahue, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric ophthalmologist at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville Tenn., agrees. "The data used in this paper unfortunately mixes well-conducted clinical trials and weak, poorly conducted and non-controlled studies."

29 Sep 2004

Significance of central corneal thickness on the management of glaucoma

In a new study, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center demonstrated the significance of central corneal thickness (CCT) on the clinical management of patients with glaucoma and those suspected to have glaucoma.

23 Sep 2004

Children with complications from acute sinusits may experience significant illness from their infection

Acute sinusitis is a common pediatric disorder, accounting for 21 percent of children’s antibiotic prescriptions.

17 Sep 2004

Strep A is showing up in increased numbers of head and neck abscesses

Head and neck abscesses are infrequent complications of upper respiratory infections, but they can occur suddenly and be rapidly progressive. If untreated, the abscesses can lead to airway obstruction, vision loss, intracranial infections, and even death.

17 Sep 2004

Potential stem cells treatment for retinitis pigmentosa and other retinal degenerations

A team of researchers from The Scripps Research Institute was able to preserve visual function in mice that were genetically predisposed to developing a profound degenerative disease that destroys their retinas.

16 Sep 2004

New glaucoma risk assessment principles help physicians decide who needs treatment

A new approach for assessing glaucoma risk factors could be the first step in helping ophthalmologists determine the risk of progression from ocular hypertension to glaucoma and blindness, according to an article published today in the September issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

14 Sep 2004