Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

DSAEK cornea transplant offers potential long-term benefits

One year post-surgery, patients who underwent Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty experienced greater cell loss overall compared to those who underwent penetrating keratoplasty, according to a new analysis of data collected from the Cornea Donor Study Investigator Group's 2008 Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study.

23 Feb 2010

Siestas can dramatically boost and restore brain power

If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don't roll your eyes. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that an hour's nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.

21 Feb 2010

Study: Elderly people with untreated visual disorders more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

Elderly people with visual disorders that are left untreated are significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease -- the most common form of dementia, according to a University of Michigan Health System study.

19 Feb 2010

Valensa International enters into license agreement with Biova for BiovaFlex ingredient

Valensa International (Eustis, FL USA) announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Biova, LLC (Johnston, Iowa USA) that will allow Valensa to include the patented BiovaFlex(TM) water-soluble egg shell membrane ingredient in a proprietary new series of formulated joint health products.

19 Feb 2010

Report: Green tea catechins may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases

Scientists have confirmed that the healthful substances found in green tea - renowned for their powerful antioxidant and disease-fighting properties - do penetrate into tissues of the eye. Their new report, the first documenting how the lens, retina, and other eye tissues absorb these substances, raises the possibility that green tea may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases.

19 Feb 2010

Epeius Biotechnologies completes construction of VPU to manufacture targeted genetic medicines

Epeius Biotechnologies (www.epeiusbiotech.com) announces the completion of the design engineering and construction phase of a state-of-the-art Vector Production Unit (VPU) for the commercial manufacturing of its advanced targeted genetic medicines. In accordance with an FDA Critical Path initiative, which encourages innovation and the implementation of new technological advances in GMP, CMC, aseptic processing, and quality control, the Epeius VPU is poised to launch the large-scale production of targeted genetic medicine into the 21st century.

18 Feb 2010

OPKO Health acquires Pharmacos Exakta

OPKO Health, Inc. today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Pharmacos Exakta, S.A. de C.V. (“Pharmacos Exakta”), a privately-owned Mexican pharmaceutical company engaged in the manufacture, marketing and distribution of ophthalmic and other pharmaceutical products for government and private markets since 1957. OPKO acquired Pharmacos Exakta, including a manufacturing facility owned by an affiliate, for cash and shares of OPKO Common Stock.

18 Feb 2010

Phase 2 study results: VEGF Trap-Eye improves vision in patients with DME

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bayer HealthCare AG announced that VEGF Trap-Eye showed positive results in a Phase 2 study in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).

18 Feb 2010

LAAHU announces annual Health Insurance Awareness Week

Los Angeles Association of Health Underwriters announces its annual Health Insurance Awareness Week. This week is set aside to perform outreach to the community in the form of health awareness and to the importance of the role of the health insurance agent.

18 Feb 2010

Anti-seizure medication prevents seizures in patients following bleeding stroke: Study

A study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute at University Hospital supports the use of an alternative medication to prevent seizures in patients who have suffered a life-threatening traumatic brain injury or bleeding stroke.

18 Feb 2010

Researchers establish Canadian norms for diagnosing FASD

Fetal Alcohol Research, the official journal of FACE, has published breakthrough research by Dr. Sterling Clarren, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Canada Northwest FASD Research Network and colleagues, establishing Canadian norms which will allow more accurate diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

18 Feb 2010

Program for healthcare writing opportunities

With ever-rising healthcare spending, writing opportunities about the health and wellness industry are unlimited. “Regardless of economic conditions, writers will always have lots of topics to cover,” says Sherry Shameer Cohen, President of the Connecticut Press Club.

18 Feb 2010

ACP urges Congress and Obama to enact comprehensive health care reform

"The unfortunate truth is that by many measures, the State of America's health care is in decline," Joseph W. Stubbs, MD, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP), reported today at ACP's annual State of the Nation's Health Care briefing. "We have too many uninsured, too few primary care physicians, and the cost of health care is rising faster than we can afford."

17 Feb 2010

Top health groups increased political spending in 2009

USA Today: "Pharmacists, optometrists and groups representing an array of medical specialists boosted their political giving in 2009, as Congress worked on health care legislation that would dramatically reshape their industry. ... Donations by the top 15 health care political action committees rose to $11.7 million in 2009, a nearly 14% increase from 2007, the most recent non-election year, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data compiled by CQ MoneyLine."

17 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 17, 2010

Today's headlines reflect more chatter about President Obama's upcoming health summit, as well as talk about budget deficits, the COBRA extension and party gridlock.

17 Feb 2010

Patients and doctors differ when it comes to daily health activities

When it comes to daily health activities such as diet and exercise, Americans and their doctors may not always see eye to eye.

17 Feb 2010

UWM engineer creates software program that foresees outcome before stem cell divides

A software program created by an engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) can not only predict the types of specialized cells a stem cell will produce, but also foresee the outcome before the stem cell even divides.

17 Feb 2010

International Stem Cell's human cornea technology: Clinical-commercial opportunities in Asia and Europe

International Stem Cell Corporation, announced today that multiple international meetings taking place between ISCO’s executive management and researchers and clinicians from commercial entities in both Asia and Europe revealed significant clinical-commercial opportunities for the company’s stem cell-derived human cornea technology in those regions.

17 Feb 2010

Oxytocin hormone improves social behavior in autistic patients

Autism is a disease characterized by difficulties in communicating effectively with other people and developing social relationships. The team led by Angela Sirigu at the Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive (CNRS) has shown that the inhalation of oxytocin, a hormone known to promote mother-infant bonds and social relationships, significantly improved the abilities of autistic patients to interact with other individuals.

17 Feb 2010

TKS4 protein plays significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome

An international team of investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research), Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences and other organizations have discovered that TKS4, a protein implicated in cancer metastasis, also plays a significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome (FTHS), a rare fatal disorder.

17 Feb 2010