Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Failures in Canadian health policy

As America grapples with reforming health care with an eye to introducing a public option, a new book published by the Fraser Institute, one of Canada’s leading economic think tanks, details the failures of Canada’s government-run health care system and serves as a warning to U.S. policy-makers.

21 Sep 2009

Symposium to discuss the scientific approaches of the FDA

The Second Annual Science Writers Symposium on Nov. 4 and 5, 2009, at the FDA's White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Md., will highlight how the FDA applies novel scientific approaches to critical public health issues and the products it regulates. The symposium, featuring a lab tour and presentations by FDA scientists, will give writers a unique insight into the evolving field of regulatory science with an eye towards generating potential story ideas.

21 Sep 2009

Medicaid: Budget gaps, informants, and a plan to expand coverage by going private

States are dealing with their unique Medicaid problems in different ways: New Mexico plans deep cuts, Florida seeks new Medicaid fraud informants, and a California gubernatorial candidate wants to privatize the program in the interest of covering the uninsured.

21 Sep 2009

Home-help staff may break rules for their patients

A new thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, reveals that out of loyalty to the people for whom they provide care, groups of home-help staff sometimes break the rules dictating how their work should be performed.

21 Sep 2009

Nine countries pledge H1N1 vaccine donations to developing countries

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21 Sep 2009

Four single-letter variations in SNPs increse prostate cancer risk

deCODE genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN) today announced that a team of its scientists and academic colleagues from Finland, Spain, the Netherlands and the United States have today published the discovery of four novel single-letter variations in the sequence of the human genome (SNPs) conferring increased risk of prostate cancer.

21 Sep 2009

Simple eye movement exam can differentiate between a stroke and less serious conditions

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21 Sep 2009

Sight for Life Foundation offers free vision care

The CIGNA (NYSE:CI) Foundation today named Dr. Eva Liang, an ophthalmologist with the Cigna Medical Group in Phoenix, as the company’s Volunteer of the Year. Dr. Liang founded the Sight for Life Foundation in 2001 while in private practice in Las Vegas.

19 Sep 2009

Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals receives U.S. patent for RX-10045

Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading Resolvin therapeutics company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent (U.S. Patent 7,582,785) covering composition of matter for RX-10045, the first Resolvin therapeutic to enter clinical trials.

19 Sep 2009

Artificial vision enhancers to reach the market by 2011

Visually impaired or blind patients with degenerative retina conditions would be very happy if they were able to regain mobility, find their way around, be able to lead an independent life and to recognize faces and read again. These wishes were documented by a survey conducted by a research team ten years ago to find out what patients' expectations of electronic retina prostheses (retina implants) were.

19 Sep 2009

Biopharmaceutical company announces initial public offering

Omeros Corporation today announced the launch of its initial public offering of 6.82 million shares of its common stock. Omeros is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products focused on inflammation and disorders of the central nervous system.

18 Sep 2009

Treatment costs for diabetes care are higher in Texas than other states

The Texas Business Group on Health (TBGH), a non-profit business association, today released its annual report on the prevalence, cost and quality of care for Texans with Type 2 diabetes.

18 Sep 2009

Researchers to focus on abnormal fetal growth and chronic kidney disease

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University two grants totaling $3.5 million to study epigenetic changes - chemical modifications of genes caused by stress, diet or other environmental influences - and how they contribute to human diseases and biological processes.

18 Sep 2009

Nutrient-rich powder from wine by-products

Two years ago, a group of friends were enjoying a glass of wine in the Mosel region in south-west Germany when their conversation turned to the health benefits which studies attribute to the drink.

18 Sep 2009

FDA approves Valturna tablets for treating high blood pressure

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Valturna((R)) (aliskiren and valsartan) tablets, the first and only medicine to target two key points within the renin system, also known as the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), an important regulator of blood pressure.

18 Sep 2009

Essilor announces first-ever eco-friendly eyewear

Back to school is an important time for families and eyesight, as many schools require eye exams and teachers notice vision needs through classroom activities. With the start of a new school year, it's also a chance for families to kick start a new routine to support the environment and establish every day green habits.

17 Sep 2009

NIH to fund grants for epigenetic research

The National Institutes of Health announced today that it will fund 22 grants on genome-wide studies of how epigenetic changes -- chemical modifications to genes that result from diet, aging, stress, or environmental exposures -- define and contribute to specific human diseases and biological processes.

17 Sep 2009

Models of care developed by nurses discussed at a briefing on health care reform

Two innovative and highly successful models of care developed by nurses were the centerpiece of a briefing today on health care reform. The event, which brought together women's health leaders and health care experts, focused on the ways in which innovative health care models can help to improve efficiency, reduce costs and ensure quality care for patients and their families.

17 Sep 2009

Successful eye surgery involves eyetooth implant in eye

Blind for nine years, Sharron “Kay” Thornton has just regained her sight through a first-in-the-U.S. surgical procedure at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The procedure -- modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (MOOKP) -- implanted her eyetooth in her eye, as a base to hold a prosthetic lens.

17 Sep 2009

OAO attempting to protect Ontarians from Great Glasses' illegal eye examinations

The Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) is warning the public to ensure their eye examinations are only conducted by a physician or optometrist.

17 Sep 2009