Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Southampton scientists to develop new single molecule DNA sequencing method

A new method of single molecule DNA sequencing is being developed by scientists at the University of Southampton with funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's Strategic Tools and Resources Development Fund.

26 Aug 2011

People with Down syndrome have diminished optokinetic, vestibular reflexes

A scientist investigating why those with Down syndrome often have poor balance and motor coordination has found that key eye reflexes are substantially altered.

25 Aug 2011

Rising numbers of assisted suicides, coroners turning a blind eye: Study

At least 10% of suicides in England are by someone with a chronic or terminal illness, found researchers who tried to obtain information on the subject from local health authorities.

24 Aug 2011

Researchers study how vision care providers assess driving capabilities of seniors

Drivers over age 65 are the fastest-growing segment of the driving population, and their eye care providers-ophthalmologists and optometrists-are playing an increasingly important role in assessing their ability to drive safely.

24 Aug 2011

State roundup: Budgets cause layoffs in Wash., end of Calif. adult day care

For the first time anyone can recall, state government employment has shrunk for two years in a row due to budget cuts, shedding nearly 4,700 full-time jobs since 2009.

24 Aug 2011

KU professor to create patient-friendly lung cancer treatment

A Kansas State University professor is trying to create a patient-friendly treatment to help the more than 220,000 people who are diagnosed with lung cancer each year.

23 Aug 2011

KalVista raises £8 million in series A round of funding

KalVista Pharmaceuticals, a new ophthalmology company with a focus on diabetic macular edema (DME), has raised £8 million in a series A round from leading life sciences investors Novo A/S and SV Life Sciences.

23 Aug 2011

Disturbing images and threatening anti-smoking messages can 'boomerang'

Health communicators have long searched for the most effective ways to convince smokers to quit. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that using a combination of disturbing images and threatening messages to prevent smoking is not effective and could potentially cause an unexpected reaction.

23 Aug 2011

Scientists identify brain-circuit defect that triggers absence seizures

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a brain-circuit defect that triggers absence seizures, the most common form of childhood epilepsy.

23 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: NY Times deconstructs health rulings; Issa on law & deficit; veterans' care needs boost

At a time when the nation's credit has been downgraded for the first time and our country is struggling to finance and reform existing entitlement programs, Obamacare's creation of new entitlements increases dependency on government and pushes our country deeper into a fiscal crisis of Greek proportion. As Congress and the president seek bipartisan ground to address the national debt, we must remember that the first step out of a hole is to stop digging.

23 Aug 2011

Activus to receive NEDO grant for 'Development of Innovative Ophthalmic Solutions'

Sosei Group Corporation, announces that its wholly owned subsidiary Activus Pharma Co., Ltd. is to receive a grant for its "Development of Innovative Ophthalmic Solutions" from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), an Incorporated Administrative Agency under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as a part of their FY2011 Innovation Promotion Programme.

22 Aug 2011

Deficit panel has 'extraordinary power' but will face 'bumpy' start

The LA Times reports on some of the challenges ahead for the "super committee" and explores the panel's chances for success. Meanwhile, one GOP member of this select group vows that there will be no cuts to entitlement benefits.

20 Aug 2011

Time-release corticosteroid implant effective in treating uveitis

A team of researchers comparing the two leading treatment approaches for the eye condition uveitis, which is the fifth leading cause of blindness in the US, have found that a time-release corticosteroid implant placed surgically in the eye is similarly effective in treating the disease as anti-inflammatory corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs taken orally. The report was published online this week in the journal Ophthalmology.

19 Aug 2011

Seven research teams across the U.S. to develop new drugs for nervous system disorders

The National Institutes of Health has made awards to investigators across the United States for an ambitious set of projects seeking to develop new drugs for disorders of the nervous system.

19 Aug 2011

Researchers demonstrate a way to control excitation and contraction in cardiac muscle cells

By employing optogenetics, a new field that uses genetically altered cells to respond to light, and a tandem unit cell (TCU) strategy, researchers at Stony Brook University have demonstrated a way to control cell excitation and contraction in cardiac muscle cells, the details of which are published in the early online edition of Circulation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology: "Stimulating Cardiac Muscle by Light: Cardiac Optogenetics by Cell Delivery."

19 Aug 2011

Lucentis receives Health Canada approval for treatment of retinal vein occlusion

Following a priority review, Health Canada has approved Lucentis (ranibizumab) as a treatment for vision loss resulting from retinal vein occlusion (RVO). This makes Lucentis the first approved treatment of its class in Canada for this debilitating condition. Patients will now have access to a treatment that is proven to be effective and has an established safety profile.

18 Aug 2011

IU scientist to investigate salubrinal drug against osteoporosis

An Indiana University scientist studying human bone growth has received a $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study a chemical compound with potential to fight osteoporosis and accelerate broken bone healing.

18 Aug 2011

Patients with diabetes, hypertension more likely to develop open-angle glaucoma

Many Americans suffer from diabetes and hypertension and, according to a study by researchers at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, these individuals may have an increased risk of developing open-angle glaucoma.

18 Aug 2011

Vanderbilt's Handle with Care initiative aims to reduce violence in emergency department

With violence toward health care workers from patients and visitors on the rise inside emergency departments, personnel with Vanderbilt's Adult Emergency Department are learning a new set of skills to keep them - and those they care for - safe. A training program called Handle with Care is the latest initiative in Vanderbilt's ongoing effort to reduce violence in the emergency department and protect staff, patients and guests.

17 Aug 2011

Study: Eye contact seems to act as an invitation for mimicry

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but how do our brains decide when and who we should copy? Researchers from The University of Nottingham have found that the key may lie in an unspoken invitation communicated through eye contact.

17 Aug 2011