Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

New discovery may improve cochlear implants for deafness

University of Utah scientists used invisible infrared light to make rat heart cells contract and toadfish inner-ear cells send signals to the brain.

28 Mar 2011

Nano-bricks may improve plastic food packaging strength and performance

Scientists are reporting on a new material containing an ingredient used to make bricks that shows promise as a transparent coating for improving the strength and performance of plastic food packaging.

28 Mar 2011

Genentech's Lucentis Phase III trials in DME meets primary endpoints

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the second of two Phase III trials evaluating Lucentis in patients with diabetic macular edema met its primary endpoint.

28 Mar 2011

Study finds eye movement difference in two different populations

The team, working with Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, investigated eye movements in Chinese and British people to further understanding of the brain mechanisms that control them and how they compare between different human populations.

25 Mar 2011

Behavioural therapy may benefit children with Tourette syndrome

Children with Tourette syndrome could benefit from behavioural therapy to reduce their symptoms, according to a new brain imaging study.

25 Mar 2011

SARcode's SAR 1118 Phase 2 data against dry eye to be presented at ARVO meeting

SARcode Corporation announced today that clinical data for their lead compound, SAR 1118, has been accepted for presentation during the upcoming Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting being held May 1–May 5, 2011, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

25 Mar 2011

VARI, Gentel Biosciences receive U.S. Patent for new glycan detection technology

Gentel Biosciences, a leader in proteomics tools, and Van Andel Research Institute, a biomedical research institute, jointly announce today the granting of U.S. Patent 7,838,634 for a new method to profile changes in the glycosylation of proteins captured on the surface of an antibody array slide. Gentel first obtained an exclusive right to commercialize the technology in 2006.

25 Mar 2011

Scientists develop new software to test alterations in night vision

Researchers from the Department of Optics of the University of Granada, belonging to the Laboratorio de Ciencias de la Visi-n y Aplicaciones, have developed a programme for testing alterations in night vision, and the tool required to implement it, which has been named "halometer".

25 Mar 2011

Brain's pleasure and reward circuitry gets a big boost after a sleepless night

A sleepless night can make us cranky and moody. But a lesser known side effect of sleep deprivation is short-term euphoria, which can potentially lead to poor judgment and addictive behavior, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

24 Mar 2011

Researchers create hiPS-RPE cells to treat age-related macular degeneration

The notion of transplanting adult stem cells to treat or even cure age-related macular degeneration has taken a significant step toward becoming a reality. In a study published today in Stem Cells, Georgetown University Medical Center researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, the ability to create retinal cells derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells that mimic the eye cells that die and cause loss of sight.

24 Mar 2011

Positive data from Omeros' OMS302 Phase 2b trial in patients undergoing cataract surgery

Omeros Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products focused on inflammation, bleeding and disorders of the central nervous system, today reported positive data from a Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating OMS302 in patients undergoing cataract surgery.

23 Mar 2011

NIH: Diabetic retinopathy leads to vision loss in working-age Americans

Diabetes is often called the "silent killer" because people who have it are often unaware they are affected. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes affects 26 million people – including children – in the United States. Approximately one-quarter of those people do not know they're living with the disease.

23 Mar 2011

Toddlers who played with fewer toys show improvement in communication skills

Toddlers who played with a limited number of toys showed more improvement in their communication skills following parent-guided treatment than those receiving other community-based treatments.

23 Mar 2011

GOP lawmakers eye overhaul funding fights, program probes

Roll Call reports that, though Republicans have been pressuring their Democratic counterparts to slash spending in general, they haven't "taken their eyes" away from the goal of blocking spending on the health law. Meanwhile, the Hill reports on one House appropriator's plan to investigate the CLASS program.

23 Mar 2011

Astellas announces positive results from mirabegron phase III trials against OAB

Astellas Pharma Inc. today announced the results of two pivotal phase III clinical trials for mirabegron, the first of a new class of compounds under development for the treatment of overactive bladder, show mirabegron significantly improves key OAB symptoms - urinary incontinence and frequency of micturition.

23 Mar 2011

SMR, RTU enter license agreement for RESCULA eye drops

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Sucampo Manufacturing & Research AG, and R-Tech Ueno, Ltd., a pharmaceutical company founded in Japan in 1989, have entered into a license agreement for RESCULA eye drops, expanding Sucampo's rights beyond its previously agreed territory of the United States and Canada to all countries in Europe and the rest of the world except Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China.

23 Mar 2011

New image resolution technology from Ellex ELX

Ellex Medical Lasers Limited (ASX:ELX), an ophthalmic laser and ultrasound technology company, today announced that it will introduce a new diagnostic ultrasound mode for its leading Eye Cubed™ system at the upcoming meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Meeting.

22 Mar 2011

SU2C endorses CCRA for funding cancer research

Stand Up To Cancer announced today its endorsement of the California Cancer Research Act, a statewide ballot initiative that, if passed, would generate funds for cancer research in the state as well as tobacco prevention and cessation programs through a new a $1-per-pack state tax on cigarettes.

22 Mar 2011

Rxi's new RNAi preclinical data to be presented at Keystone conference

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a recognized leader in RNA interference based therapeutic discovery and development, today announced that new preclinical data using proprietary self-delivering RNAi compounds, including RXI-109, will be presented at the Keystone Symposia's Mechanism and Biology of Silencing conference being held March 20-25, 2011 in Monterey, California.

22 Mar 2011

First full face transplant in the U.S. on its way to success

In a first of its kind, Dallas Wiens, a 25 year old construction worker who had suffered severe burns to his head two and a half years ago and lost his face, was given a new face by transplant. Until now he had a face void of features, except for a lipless mouth and a goatee beard. Even his eye sockets were smoothed over with skin taken from other parts of his body. This was after 22 surgical procedures.

21 Mar 2011