Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Ivantis initiates enrollment in Hydrus Microstent study for open angle glaucoma

Ivantis announced the enrollment of the first patient in the Hydrus IV study today. The Hydrus Microstent is the world's first intracanalicular scaffold for treatment of primary open angle glaucoma, a disease that afflicts over 70 million people worldwide and approximately 3 million people in the United States.

6 Mar 2012

AMA details concerns about payment policy changes for Medicare Part C, D

Modern Healthcare details the positions taken by the American Medical Association in response to recent changes proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Also, in related news, a new panel sets to work on improving the physician payment system.

6 Mar 2012

Almost 70% of young adults with Asperger syndrome have suffered from depression

Given that almost 70% of young adults with Asperger syndrome have suffered from depression, it is vital that psychiatric care staff are aware of this so that patients are given the right treatment, reveals research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

6 Mar 2012

Merck announces results from AIT Phase III clinical study for ragweed allergy

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced the results from a Phase III clinical study of its investigational allergy immunotherapy tablet (AIT) for ragweed pollen.

6 Mar 2012

Scientists successfully cultivate stem cells on human corneas

A new cornea may be the only way to prevent a patient going blind - but there is a shortage of donated corneas and the queue for transplantation is long. Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have for the first time successfully cultivated stem cells on human corneas, which may in the long term remove the need for donators.

5 Mar 2012

Merck announces success of pill against ragweed allergy

Merck & Co. announced Monday that their experimental allergy tablet reduced allergic reactions to ragweed and helped patients use less medication to treat their symptoms.

5 Mar 2012

ACADIA, Allergan extend drug discovery collaboration

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative treatments that address unmet medical needs in neurological and related central nervous system disorders, today announced that it has extended its drug discovery and development collaboration with Allergan, Inc..

5 Mar 2012

Tobii introduces next-generation eye tracking integration component at CeBIT

Tobii Technology, the world leader in eye tracking and gaze interaction, today announced the introduction of its next-generation eye tracking integration component, the Tobii IS-2 Eye Tracker.

5 Mar 2012

Polymer-based medical implants can produce harmful free radicals

A polymer is a mesh of chains, which slowly break over time due to the pressure from ordinary wear and tear. When a polymer is squeezed, the pressure breaks chemical bonds and produces free radicals: ions with unpaired electrons, full of untapped energy. These molecules are responsible for aging, DNA damage and cancer in the human body.

3 Mar 2012

Scientists to develop new carbon-based biointerfaces

In the future, neural implants could replace destroyed sensory cells in the eye or ear - a dream come true for humanity. One of the greatest challenges yet to be addressed is designing the interface between medical technology and human tissue. In order to overcome the limitations of existing models, scientists from Forschungszentrum Juelich and eleven other institutions involved in the NeuroCare project, which kicked off on 1 March 2012, will develop novel biointerfaces made of carbon.

3 Mar 2012

Romney: Blunting confusion on support of contraception amendment

The campaign issued a clarification Wednesday after comments made by GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to an Ohio reporter about the contraception-related Senate amendment. Romney's camp clarified his support for the amendment.

2 Mar 2012

RUB experiment: Consequences of light stimulation

Whenever we are doing something, one of our brain hemispheres is more active than the other one. However, some tasks are only solvable with both sides working together. PD Dr. Martina Manns and Juliane R-mling of the Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum are investigating, how such specializations and co-operations arise.

2 Mar 2012

Insight into why some children develop myopia

Myopia (nearsightedness) develops in children when the lens stops compensating for continued growth of the eye, according to a study in the March issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

2 Mar 2012

First study to focus on platelet genetics in African Americans

Researchers, led by scientists from Johns Hopkins, have found five previously unknown gene mutations believed to be associated with elevated blood platelet counts in African-Americans, findings they say could someday lead to the development of new drugs to help prevent coronary artery disease.

2 Mar 2012

Photon etc. announces the launch of IRIS, an innovative Retinal Hyperspectral Imaging system

Targeting the emergent field of hyperspectral retinal imaging, Photon etc. is proud to launch IRIS™, a new device for non-invasive localization of biomolecules in the eye fundus. Based on a custom-made mydriatic retinal camera and Photon etc.’s Tunable Laser Source, IRIS™ is a versatile instrument that allows high definition retinal imaging at any wavelength from 420 to 1000 nm. IRIS™ is the ideal research tool to better understand and develop tomorrow’s treatments for retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. This product is sold for research purposes only.

1 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 1, 2012

Today's headlines set the stage for the Senate's scheduled vote on a measure sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., that would allow employers and insurers to opt out of provisions in Obama's health care law to which they object on religious or moral grounds.

1 Mar 2012

Gluten-free, casein-free diet more effective in improving ASD behaviors and symptoms

A gluten-free, casein-free diet may lead to improvements in behavior and physiological symptoms in some children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to researchers at Penn State. The research is the first to use survey data from parents to document the effectiveness of a gluten-free, casein-free diet on children with ASD.

1 Mar 2012

ACTB and ACTG1 actin genes cause Baraitser-Winter syndrome

Scientists from Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington, in collaboration with the Genomic Disorders Group Nijmegen in the Netherlands, have identified two new genes that cause Baraitser-Winter syndrome, a rare brain malformation that is characterized by droopy eyelids and intellectual disabilities.

1 Mar 2012

People with TBI show decline in financial management skills

People who experience a traumatic brain injury show a marked decline in the ability to make appropriate financial decisions in the immediate aftermath and a continued impairment on complex financial skills six months later, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

29 Feb 2012

First study to show effects of ecstasy drug on fetal and infant development

A study led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in collaboration with the University of East London UK, and Swansea University UK, is the first to show the effects of the drug ecstasy on fetal and infant development.

29 Feb 2012