Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Diabetes people can benefit from noninvasive polarimetric glucose monitor

People with diabetes, who currently monitor their glucose with painful and inconvenient blood tests or implanted probes, could in the future get the same results quickly and non-invasively by safely shining a light into their eye, according to results of a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology.

10 Mar 2011

Study finds synapses between retinal ganglion cells and starburst amacrine cells distributed asymmetrically

The sensory cells in the retina of the mammalian eye convert light stimuli into electrical signals and transmit them via downstream interneurons to the retinal ganglion cells which, in turn, forward them to the brain. The interneurons are connected to each other in such a way that the individual ganglion cells receive visual information from a circular area of the visual field known as the receptive field.

10 Mar 2011

Study reveals flexibility of neuronal processes underlying conscious perception

Our brains process many more stimuli than we become aware of. Often images enter our brain without being noticed: visual information is being processed, but does not reach consciousness, that is, we do not have an impression of it. Then, what is the difference between conscious and unconscious perception, and can both forms of perception be changed through practice?

10 Mar 2011

FDA accepts Merck's SAFLUTAN NDA for standard review

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the New Drug Application for SAFLUTAN, Merck's investigational preservative-free prostaglandin analogue ophthalmic solution, has been accepted for standard review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

10 Mar 2011

Brain's learning capacity recharges during light, dreamless slumber

Scientists have long puzzled over the many hours we spend in light, dreamless slumber. But a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests we're busy recharging our brain's learning capacity during this traditionally undervalued phase of sleep, which can take up half the night.

9 Mar 2011

Psychosocially hazardous neighborhood may influence cognitive function in older age

Residing in a psychosocially hazardous neighborhood is associated with worse cognitive function in older age for persons with the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Mar 2011

Institute for Genome Sciences plays key role in investigation of anthrax attacks

Researchers at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and collaborators at the FBI, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and Northern Arizona University have published the first scientific paper based on their investigation into the anthrax attacks of 2001.

8 Mar 2011

Humana joins with iCan to offer new individual healthcare plans

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) has teamed with the iCan Benefit Group to offer a new line of discounted products for individual consumers. Effective immediately, people can access a variety of discounted packages that include dental, vision and pharmacy products.

8 Mar 2011

Parents play a key role in prevention of alcohol consumption in teenagers

Parents who are both present and engaged are the very best way of preventing teenagers from consuming large quantities of alcohol. Adolescents who smoke, stay out with their friends and have access to alcohol - from their parents, for example - when they are as young as 13 are at greater risk of becoming binge drinkers in their late teens, reveals a new thesis from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

8 Mar 2011

Aerie Pharmaceuticals closes $30 million Series B financing

Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of medical innovations in ophthalmology, today announced the closing of a $30 million Series B financing.

7 Mar 2011

Researchers explore ways to improve human-computer interaction

Lijun Yin wants computers to understand inputs from humans that go beyond the traditional keyboard and mouse.

5 Mar 2011

Anthem Life sponsors USABA to host Winter Ski Festival for visually impaired athletes

Sponsored by Anthem Life Insurance Company, The United States Association of Blind Athletes is pleased to host the second annual Colorado Winter Ski Festival in Breckenridge, CO, from Friday, March 11 through Monday, March 14.

5 Mar 2011

Bessel beam plane illumination microscopy reveals 3-D structures of living cells

A new microscope invented by scientists at Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus will let researchers use an exquisitely thin sheet of light -- similar to that used in supermarket bar-code scanners -- to peer inside single living cells, revealing the three-dimensional shapes of cellular landmarks in unprecedented detail.

5 Mar 2011

Volcano launches Platinum digital IVUS catheter at PCI Live Demonstration Course in Kurashiki

Volcano Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of precision guided therapy tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, announced today that it received clearance to market the Eagle Eye Platinum digital IVUS catheter in Japan, and will introduce the device at the 20th PCI Live Demonstration Course in Kurashiki, which starts on March 3rd.

4 Mar 2011

Electrical stimulation may help bring back the voice of stroke patients

A Virginia Tech College of Engineering researcher is seeking a new way to help those who are unable to speak to find their voice. But this isn't "The King's Speech," the Academy Award-winning film about a British royal undergoing speech therapy to battle a stammer. Instead, Alexander Leonessa wants to help bring back the voice of stroke patients and others who have suffered paralysis of the vocal folds, through electrical stimulation.

4 Mar 2011

Springtime may cause or worsen dry eye condition

Springtime may be just what the doctor orders for individuals suffering from dry eye condition, a disorder resulting from insufficient tear production or altered tear film composition. According to a study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, a temperature less than 30 degrees Celsius on the eye and eyelid could be the cause for the onset or worsening of the disorder.

4 Mar 2011

ATS releases new report detailing emerging trends in HIV-linked pulmonary disease management

The American Thoracic Society has released a new report detailing recent global changes in the management of human immunodeficiency virus-associated pulmonary disease.

4 Mar 2011

ContextVision launches MAMMO PlusViewCAD breast cancer detection tool at ECR

ContextVision is pleased to a announce that today at the ECR in Vienna, it is officially launching the first product stemming from its recently announced strategic alliance with NeuSoft Medical Technologies.

3 Mar 2011

ContextVision launches GOPView iRVUltra product at 2011 ECR annual meeting

ContextVision is pleased to announce the showcasing and market launch of a second new product at the 2011 European Congress of Radiology in Vienna.

3 Mar 2011

Children with ASD can benefit from interactive computer program

Children with autism spectrum disorders are better able to recognize faces, facial expressions and emotions with the help of an interactive computer program called FaceSay, according to newly published research from psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

3 Mar 2011