Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Disulfiram drug effective in treating cocaine addiction: Research

Doctors have used the drug disulfiram to help patients stay sober for several decades. It interferes with the body's ability to metabolize alcohol, giving a fierce hangover to someone who consumes even a small amount of alcohol.More recently, disulfiram was shown to be effective in treating cocaine addiction as well, even though alcohol and cocaine affect the nervous system in different ways.

27 Aug 2010

Novartis purchases majority interest in Alcon from Nestlé for $28.3 billion

Novartis AG and Nestlé S.A. announced today that they have completed the purchase and sale of approximately 156 million shares of Alcon, Inc. for US$28.3 billion in cash.

26 Aug 2010

Tree Top enters Letter of Intent with WorldWithoutBlindness

Recently Tree Top, entered into a Letter of Intent with WorldWithoutBlindness, LLC, ("WWB"), a not-for-profit medical corporation whose expressed mission is "to prevent blindness through screening and early disease detection, patient information, physician education and vision science research." During due diligence, Tree Top's management, along with WWB related medical staff, identified that more work needed to be done to successfully implement WWB's business model.

26 Aug 2010

Researchers show biosynthetic cornea can stimulate regeneration in damaged eye tissue

A new study from researchers in Canada and Sweden has shown that biosynthetic corneas can help regenerate and repair damaged eye tissue and improve vision in humans.

26 Aug 2010

Gene linked to Fuchs corneal dystrophy discovered

A 13-member research team led by University of Oregon scientist Dr. Albert O. Edwards has found a gene likely responsible for Fuchs corneal dystrophy, an inheritable genetic disorder and leading cause of corneal transplant operations.

26 Aug 2010

Ataxin 2 gene mutation contributes to Lou Gehrig's disease: Research

An international study led by biologists and neuroscientists from the University of Pennsylvania has identified a new genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

26 Aug 2010

Sea food for babies

Has your toddler eaten fish today? A University of Illinois food science professor has two important reasons for including seafood in your young child's diet, reasons that have motivated her work in helping to develop a tasty, nutritious salmon baby food for toddlers.

25 Aug 2010

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Procter & Gamble to co-promote Silenor

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that Somaxon and Procter & Gamble have entered into a co-promotion agreement for Silenor (doxepin), a newly-approved treatment for insomnia characterized by difficulty with sleep maintenance.

25 Aug 2010

Simulations Plus launches Version 7.0 of GastroPlus software for pharmaceutical industry

Simulations Plus, Inc.,a leading provider of simulation and modeling software for pharmaceutical discovery and development, has announced the launch of Version 7.0 of GastroPlus, the industry's gold standard software for the simulation of drug absorption, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics.

25 Aug 2010

Bug with bifocals discovered

University of Cincinnati researchers are reporting on the discovery of a bug with bifocals - such an amazing finding that it initially had the researchers questioning whether they could believe their own eyes. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of truly bifocal lenses in the extant animal kingdom," the researchers state in the Aug. 24 cover feature of the premier life-science journal, Current Biology.

24 Aug 2010

Canadian government to match private donations for Pakistan flood aid

Donations for flood aid in Pakistan through cbm Canada will be matched dollar for dollar by the federal government until September 12.

24 Aug 2010

Medical loss ratio rules for insurers could bring controversy to Sebelius' office

Once the National Association of Insurance Commissioners finalizes recommendations on insurance companies' spending on medical costs versus administrative expenses, the next stop for that proposal will be the desk of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Politico reports.

23 Aug 2010

InSite Vision initiates Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ISV-303

InSite Vision Incorporated, a company developing novel ophthalmic therapeutics, today announced the initiation of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ISV-303, a topical anti-inflammatory product intended to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with ocular surgery. ISV-303 combines a low dose of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory bromfenac with InSite Vision's proprietary DuraSite technology.

23 Aug 2010

Updated 2nd edition of book on Graves' orbitopathy

The significant progress in the understanding of the pathogenesis and the treatment of Graves' orbitopathy (GO) has warranted a second edition of this book within three years of the first. Now also fully incorporated is the EUGOGO consensus statement on management of GO, which since has been accepted worldwide as a useful guideline.

21 Aug 2010

NSF issues award to develop techniques for analyzing children's behavior

A team led by the Georgia Institute of Technology has received a $10 million "Expeditions in Computing" award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop novel computing techniques for measuring and analyzing the behavior of children.

20 Aug 2010

Neuroscientist conducts free webinar to highlight children’s vision problems

The public is invited to a free web interview with Dr. Susan Barry, neuroscientist, professor and author of Fixing My Gaze. Dr. Barry, recently interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air program, is famous for gaining 3D vision as an adult and sharing her experiences in her book, which was just released in paperback.

20 Aug 2010

ISCO to formalize eye care based stem cell therapeutic programs into Cytovis business unit

International Stem Cell Corporation, today announced that its stem cell therapeutic programs focused on protective, transparent corneas (CytoCor™) in the front of the eye and the light-sensitive retinal tissue (CytoRet™) in the back of the eye will be formalized into a new business unit, Cytovis™.

20 Aug 2010

FDA Advisory Committee votes in favor of expanding pain indications for Eli Lilly's Cymbalta

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Anesthetic and Life Support Drugs Advisory Committee voted 8-6 in favor of expanding the pain indications for Eli Lilly and Company's (NYSE: LLY) Cymbalta® (duloxetine HCl) to a broader pain population that will be further defined by the FDA, if approved.

20 Aug 2010

USPTO rules out Oculir's claim on noninvasive glucose measuring device patent

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has held that all claims in Oculir's Patent No. 6,958,039 to be invalid as not patentable based on prior art from a patent disclosure by Yale researcher, Dr. Marc Abreu.

20 Aug 2010

Concern about slow pace of aid for Pakistan mounts as U.N. secures additional funds

U.N. officials and aid groups "expressed alarm on Tuesday that the plight of millions of Pakistanis flooded from their land has yet to strike a sufficiently sympathetic nerve among donors - neither governments nor the general public - with aid trickling in far more slowly than needed," the New York Times reports.

19 Aug 2010