Cataract News and Research

Latest Cataract News and Research

Diabetics more likely to lose their vision

Experts in the United States have found that vision loss is more common in people with diabetes than those without the disease.

14 Oct 2008

Visual impairment more common in people with diabetes

Visual impairment appears to be more common in people with diabetes than in those without the disease, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

13 Oct 2008

FDA approves Rapaflo for treatment of symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Rapaflo (silodosin) capsules for the treatment of symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition also known as an enlarged prostate.

12 Oct 2008

Coated lenses set to reduce 'post-op' infections for cataract patients

Research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester reveals that coating an artificial lens with antibiotics could significantly reduce the risk of post-operative infection, and even blindness, for cataract patients.

7 Sep 2008

Children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to develop short-sightedness

"The results of this study are consistent with an American study which found that outdoor sport was protective, however our study shows that the crucial feature is being outdoors irrespective of the activity you are doing."

11 Aug 2008

Laser therapy more effective than corticosteroids in long term treatment of diabetic macular edema

A promising new drug therapy used to treat abnormal swelling in the eye - a condition called diabetic macular edema - proved less effective than traditional laser treatments in a study funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

29 Jul 2008

Corneal transplant technique shows promise in children

For infants and children with blinding diseases of the cornea, a sophisticated new corneal transplantation technique offers the hope of improving vision while overcoming the technical difficulty and low success rate of traditional penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in children, according to reports in the current issue of the Journal of AAPOS (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus).

15 Jul 2008

Natural self moisturizing agents for contact lenses

Even contact lenses are joining the trend to go green. Chemical engineering researchers at McMaster University have shown that a common fluid found in our bodies can be used as a natural moisturizing agent in contact lenses.

8 Jul 2008

Resveratrol shown to reduce age related health problems

Researchers in the U.S. have found that a compound found in grapes and red wine can significantly reduce age related health problems.

7 Jul 2008

Resveratrol mimics the beneficial effects of eating fewer calories

Large doses of a red wine ingredient can ward off many of the vagaries of aging in mice who begin taking it at midlife, according to a new report published online on July 3rd in Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.

3 Jul 2008

Resveratrol improves health, but not longevity in aging mice

Scientists have found that the compound resveratrol slows age-related deterioration and functional decline of mice on a standard diet, but does not increase longevity when started at middle age.

3 Jul 2008

Tumor suppressor genes speed up and slow down aging in engineered mouse

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an animal model that can test the function of two prominent tumor suppressor genes, p16 and p19, in the aging process. Scientists knew that both these genes were expressed at increased levels as humans and mice age, but their role in the aging process was not clear. Findings by the Mayo team show that p16 provides gas to accelerate cellular aging, while p19 stops that process.

1 Jun 2008

New findings on vitamin E and cataracts in women

A new analysis of the Women's Health Study (WHS) found that women who took Vitamin E supplements had rates of cataract development comparable to women who did not take such supplements.

1 May 2008

Children more vulnerable to harmful effects of lead at age 6 than as toddlers

Contrary to prevailing assumptions, children are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of lead exposure at the age of 6 than they are in early childhood, according to a Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study to be presented May 4 at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Honolulu.

30 Apr 2008

Laser eye surgery comes under close scrutiny

More and more people are having laser vision corrective surgery (LASIK surgery) in the hope that their vision will be restored to such an extent that glasses will no longer be needed.

28 Apr 2008

New clues to cataract formation

It is the No. 1 line-item cost of Medicare reimbursement and affects more than 20 million people in the United States. Cataracts, which can have devastating effects on the eye, affect 42 percent of the population between the ages of 70 and 80, and 68 percent of the population over the age of 80, according to the National Eye Institute.

17 Apr 2008

Very early photoscreening yields better visual outcomes in amblyopia treatment

Children who screen positive for amblyopia, reduced vision in one eye, before age 2 appear to have better visual outcomes than those whose vision problems are detected during screenings between ages 2 and 4, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Apr 2008

Easter eye warning as occy straps lash out

Easter-period travellers are being warned to take care with octopus straps that hospitalise 540 people each year with severe eye injuries.

21 Mar 2008

LASIK patients overwhelmingly happy with procedure results

Worldwide, an average 95.4 percent of LASIK patients are satisfied with their new vision, according to the first review of the world body of scientific literature, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) announced today.

10 Mar 2008

AstraZeneca submits sNDA for SEROQUEL XR for treatment of major depressive disorder

AstraZeneca has announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for once- daily SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate) Extended-Release Tablets to seek approval for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) as monotherapy, adjunct therapy, and maintenance therapy in adult patients.

1 Mar 2008