Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

FDA approves Abbott’s Healon EndoCoat OVD device

Abbott announced today that it has expanded its Healon family of ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Healon EndoCoat OVD, a device intended for use as a surgical aid in cataract extraction and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.

4 Jul 2012

Hay fever symptom severity plateau identified

Study findings suggest that individuals sensitized to Poaceae, a family of land grasses, experience increasing severity in hay fever symptoms in line with daily levels, up to a saturation point.

2 Jul 2012

Watching 3D movies can lead to visual and motion sickness

Watching 3D movies can "immerse" you in the experience—but can also lead to visual symptoms and even motion sickness, reports a study - "Stereoscopic Viewing and Reported Perceived Immersion and Symptoms", in the July issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

2 Jul 2012

Health system changes move forward

Press reports detail the steps that might happen next in terms of the health law's implementation as well as what the decision might mean for consumers.

30 Jun 2012

Enlightening risk factor findings for REM sleep behavior disorder

Cigarette smoking, head injury, farming, pesticide exposure, and a lower level of education may be risk factors for idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, researchers report.

29 Jun 2012

Passive smoking risks children’s distance vision

Passive smoke exposure could lead to long-sightedness in children, show Egyptian study results.

29 Jun 2012

Lexicon announces results from two initial trials of LX4211 for type 2 diabetes

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the publication of results from two initial trials of LX4211 in patients with type 2 diabetes in the online edition of the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

29 Jun 2012

Blindsight in monkeys is available in everyday environments

The visual information from eyes is sent into the brain unconsciously even if you are not aware. One of examples of unconscious seeing is a phenomenon of "blindsight" [Subjects have no awareness, but their brains can see] in subjects with visual impairment, caused by the damage of a part of the brain called the visual cortex.

29 Jun 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

Senior citizens report fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts

Today's senior citizens are reporting fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts from a generation ago, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Improved techniques for cataract surgery and a reduction in the prevalence of macular degeneration may be the driving forces behind this change, the researchers said.

29 Jun 2012

Potential risk factors for disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep

Smoking, head injury, pesticide exposure, farming and less education may be risk factors for a rare sleep disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep, according to a study published in the June 27, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jun 2012

UI Health first in the Midwest to offer LenSx femtosecond laser for cataract patients

A new laser system for cataract surgery, with accuracy to a few hundred-thousandths of an inch, allows eye surgeons to optimize and customize the incision and ensure the best possible outcome.

28 Jun 2012

Romney, Obama offer messaging previews for the coming health law decision

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney says if the court strikes down the law, it shows President Barack Obama wasted three years. If court upholds it, he promises to get rid of the law if elected. Obama tells a campaign crowd the law is critical to expanding coverage to those who can't get it.

28 Jun 2012

Vaccine for nicotine addiction developed

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed and successfully tested in mice an innovative vaccine to treat nicotine addiction.

28 Jun 2012

Bed cluster models improve patient care

When hospitals group patient rooms into small clusters, nurses have more time for their patients. But the design of these 'bed clusters' is important.

27 Jun 2012

Congressional eyes focused on the high court

Depending on how the decision shakes out, funding provided for the health law would be fair game during a time marked by difficult budget choices. Meanwhile, the GOP stays steady on its pledge to repeal the health law, or whatever remains of it.

26 Jun 2012

Nanoparticles that can slip through mucus barriers shown to protect against herpes infections

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have demonstrated, for the first time in animals, that nanoparticles can slip through mucus to deliver drugs directly to tissue surfaces in need of protection. The researchers used these mucus-penetrating particles (MPPs) to protect against vaginal herpes infections in mice and the goal is to create similar MPPs to deliver drugs that protect humans against sexually transmitted diseases or even treat cancer.

26 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

Study investigates EEGs as potential diagnostic tool for autism

Widely available EEG testing can distinguish children with autism from neurotypical children as early as age 2, finds a study from Boston Children's Hospital. The study is the largest, most rigorous study to date to investigate EEGs as a potential diagnostic tool for autism, and offers hope for an earlier, more definitive test.

26 Jun 2012