Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Brain cells prune circuits in the brain by eating away excess synapses

We’re born with our brains prewired, but as information comes in from our environment, this circuitry is updated. A study from Boston Children’s Hospital provides a new glimpse of how this happens: Brain cells known as microglia, tuned into the crosstalk between neurons, literally engulf unnecessary connections, known as synapses, and prune them away.

24 May 2012

Children with obesity more likely to have idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Children who are overweight or obese -- particularly older, non-Hispanic white girls -- are more likely to have a neurological disorder known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a rare condition that can result in blindness, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

24 May 2012

Many women not screened for gonorrhea and chlamydia infection during pregnancy

Many women are not screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea infection during their pregnancy, and follow-up testing is not always performed as medically recommended for those who test positive for chlamydia, according to a study published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

From Quest Diagnostics 24 May 2012

Acne pills can cause eye infections

Millions of teenagers suffer from acne, and they deal with the embarrassing skin blemishes by taking popular prescription medications such as Accutane or Roaccutane. Now, however, research from Tel Aviv University shows that these pills can also cause eye infections such as conjunctivitis (pink eye) or sties.

24 May 2012

Scientists determine genetic sequences of all 12 vancomycin-resistant staph strains

National Institutes of Health-funded scientists have determined the genetic sequences of all 12 available strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria resistant to vancomycin-an antibiotic of last resort-and have demonstrated that resistance arose independently in each strain after it acquired a specific bit of genetic material called transposon Tn1546

23 May 2012

Bill introduced in U.S. Senate is latest push to award prizes for new drug development

"As Washington prepares for a major international AIDS conference this summer, developments on the drug front are once again elevating the subject of the continuing epidemic in the public eye," CQ HealthBeat reports.

22 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

UK-led technologies set to transform treatments on the NHS

Video games, pioneering gene therapies and new medical devices are set to transform treatments on the NHS, with support from the Department of Health and the Wellcome Trust.

19 May 2012

More than 55% of U.S. adults lose or break their sunglasses every year

More than 55 percent of adults in the United States lose or break their sunglasses every year, according to a new report by The Vision Council.

18 May 2012

Researchers create prosthetic retina for patients with AMD

A device which could restore sight to patients with one of the most common causes of blindness in the developed world is being developed in an international partnership.

18 May 2012

Cleveland Eye Clinic surgeons perform Corneal Cross-Linking procedure

For years, patients with an eye disease called keratoconus have had little to no hope of continuing to see well without glasses or contacts, and a portion of them had a high risk corneal transplant in their future. Keratoconus is an eye disease that causes the cornea (the clear covering on the eye) to become thin and steep over time. Patients with keratoconus can wear special contact lenses or in some cases glasses. Many of them lose the ability to see well even with corrective eye wear.

18 May 2012

AVMA offers tips to avoid dog bites

Of the 4.7 million Americans victimized annually by dog bites, more than half are children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Veterinarians, the U.S. Postal Service, the medical community and the insurance industry are working together to educate the public that dog bites are preventable.

18 May 2012

Breast cancer cell surface protein blows cover of potent tumor-generating cells

Breast cancer stem cells wear a cell surface protein that is part nametag and part bull's eye, identifying them as potent tumor-generating cells and flagging their vulnerability to a drug, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report online in Journal of Clinical Investigation.

17 May 2012

Sensory substitution device enables blind persons to actually 'read' an eye chart

A method developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for training blind persons to "see" through the use of a sensory substitution device (SSD) has enabled those using the system to actually "read" an eye chart with letter sizes smaller than those used in determining the international standard for blindness.

17 May 2012

Gene therapy restores movement in children bedridden with AADC

Using gene transfer techniques pioneered by University of Florida faculty, Taiwanese doctors have restored some movement in four children bedridden with a rare, life-threatening neurological disease.

17 May 2012

ACE2 molecule now protects major organs in diabetic patients

ACE2, a molecule that has been shown to prevent damage in the heart, is now proving to be protective of the major organs that are often damaged in diabetic patients.

17 May 2012

Colleagues In Care, IBM partner to help improve healthcare delivery in Haiti

IBM today announced it is helping improve healthcare delivery in Haiti through its collaboration with 'Colleagues In Care' Global Health Network.

17 May 2012

SRI Sarnoff receives Lenel factory certification for IOM N-Glance identification system

SRI Sarnoff's Iris on the Move N-Glance identification system has received Lenel factory certification for its interface to Lenel's OnGuard software system.

17 May 2012

Colonic tissue may help predict Parkinson's disease

Two studies by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggest that, in the future, colonic tissue obtained during either colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy may be used to predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of aging that that leads to progressive deterioration of motor function due to loss of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential to executing movement.

16 May 2012

Mass. Eye and Ear announces recipients of 2012 Curing Kids Fund grants

The Mass. Eye and Ear Curing Kids fund has awarded grants for research projects that aim to help the brain locate sound, identify genes that cause congenital blindness, cure deafness through hair cell regeneration, and improve treatment for childhood eye cancer.

16 May 2012