Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Social networking sites could effectively help prevent HIV infection among at-risk groups

Facebook and other social networking technologies could serve as effective tools for preventing HIV infection among at-risk groups, new UCLA research suggests.

9 Feb 2013

Hoping for universal family planning by 2030

Dana Horvig, CEO of Marie Stopes International, writes in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog that his hope is "that by 2030 we are finally living in the golden age of family planning ... in which everyone has access to whatever type of contraception they want, no matter where they live or what their circumstances are." He continues, "If we are to reach this golden age though, we must keep an ever watchful eye on results and impact, and make sure family planning services are available to the people who need them most."

9 Feb 2013

New technique can detect mercury contamination in water

Chemists at the University of Burgos (Spain) have manufactured a sheet that changes colour in the presence of water contaminated with mercury. The results can be seen with the naked eye but when photographing the membrane with a mobile phone the concentration of this extremely toxic metal can be quantified.

9 Feb 2013

Plans scaled back for vets' computerized health records system

The U.S. government is ditching ambitious plans to create a single computer system for troops and military veterans to track their health records, opting instead for a more modest, less costly plan that officials said will deliver on goals faster.

9 Feb 2013

Melatonin viable alternative for REM sleep behavior disorder treatment

Clonazepam and melatonin appear to be equally effective for the treatment of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder symptoms, although melatonin may be better tolerated, a naturalistic clinical study shows.

8 Feb 2013

Intravitreal ranibizumab shows little benefit after hemorrhage

Ranibizumab given intravitreally offers no clear benefit in the treatment of vitreous hemorrhage due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a randomized clinical trial indicates.

8 Feb 2013

New method can determine seriousness of cancer prognosis with 80% certainty

The number of incorrect cancer prognoses can be halved with computerised image analysis. In three years time, the method can be used on patients with bowel cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.

6 Feb 2013

Selective laser trabeculoplasty promising for glaucoma

Selective laser trabeculoplasty leads to significant reductions in intraocular pressure in people with primary open-angle glaucoma, a study has found.

6 Feb 2013

Researchers detect social attention deficits in infants at increased risk of autism

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine are able to detect deficits in social attention in infants as young as six months of age who later develop Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

6 Feb 2013

Viral conjunctivitis: potential new treatment

Viral conjunctivitis is a highly contagious infection, often causing major ophthalmic epidemics. There is no approved acute treatment currently approved by the FDA for viral conjunctivitis. A safe broad-spectrum antiviral agent is needed to treat this unmet medical need.

5 Feb 2013

Insulin could increase risk of health complications in patients with type 2 diabetes

Patients with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin could be exposed to a greater risk of health complications including heart attack, stroke, cancer and eye complications a new study has found.

5 Feb 2013

Orphan, St George's sign licensing agreement to develop new therapies for metabolic disorders

St George's, University of London has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with rare-disease research-and-development firm Orphan Technologies Ltd to develop new therapies for deadly metabolic disorders.

5 Feb 2013

ATI Neurostimulation System demonstrates clinical effectiveness in treating cluster headache

Autonomic Technologies, Inc. (ATI), the developer of the ATI Neurostimulation System designed for the treatment of severe headaches, today announced results of their clinical study in cluster headache, now published online in Cephalalgia.

5 Feb 2013

Visual symptoms and abnormalities occur at high rates in people with TBI

Visual symptoms and abnormalities occur at high rates in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI)—including Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans with blast-related TBI, reports a study, "Abnormal Fixation in Individuals with AMD when Viewing an Image of a Face", in the February issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

5 Feb 2013

AAPOS committee revises guidelines for automated preschool vision screening

The Vision Screening Committee of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the professional organization for pediatric eye care, has revised its guidelines for automated preschool vision screening based on new evidence. The new guidelines are published in the February issue of the Journal of AAPOS.

5 Feb 2013

Cause of esodeviation differs in children, adults

Children who present with acute-onset esodeviation should be investigated for underlying central nervous system disorders, study findings indicate.

4 Feb 2013

Scientists identify two areas of brain responsible for perception of orientation and shape

A new study led by scientists at the Universities of York and Bradford has identified the two areas of the brain responsible for our perception of orientation and shape.

4 Feb 2013

New survey outlines funding deficiency in brain and eye disease research

BrightFocus Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds research worldwide to save sight and mind, today released the results of a survey of more than 170 leading biomedical scientists that explores the most significant barriers to progress in ending brain and eye diseases.

2 Feb 2013

National Eye Institute’s booklet and videos help people adapt to life with low vision

A 20-page large-print booklet and a series of videos to help people adapt to life with low vision are available from the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The materials were released during Low Vision Awareness Month, February 2013.

2 Feb 2013

State roundup: Texas lawmakers ready health budget

Texas budget writers got a briefing on the state's health care programs Wednesday, and many of the biggest questions focused on how the state can reduce fraud and what to do about ever-increasing health care costs.

1 Feb 2013