Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Virtual reality appears to dramatically change how the brain physically registers pain

The work, which used a specialized type of magnetic resonance imaging to track pain-related brain activity, showed drops of as much as 97 percent in such activity in some brain centers. The study marks the first time that scientists have documented a link between virtual reality and pain reduction in terms of an actual physiological response.

21 Jun 2004

New eye-tracking device

The newest research device at The William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation looks more like something out of a science fiction movie than a tool for discovering learning patterns.

21 Jun 2004

Antarctic worms may hold the key to future storage of organ transplants

The secret to Antarctic worms’ survival in the most extreme conditions may have implications for future storage of organ transplants, say University of Otago researchers.

21 Jun 2004

SARS, the highly infectious respiratory virus, has been found in tears

The finding suggests that tear analysis could not only be an effective means of diagnosing the infection, but also an unrecognised source of its spread, if appropriate preventive measures are not taken, say the authors.

20 Jun 2004

Maple Ridge Care Centre fined for abuse of a resident

Maple Ridge Care Centre has been fined $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for abuse of a resident by an employee and attempts by staff to cover up the incident.

17 Jun 2004

Soil-borne disease called allergic fungal sinusitis is on the rise

The bad news this summer is that a destructive, soil-borne disease called allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is on the rise -- at least according to the up tick in cases referred to specialist Steven Schaefer, MD, chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

16 Jun 2004

New material, cellular perfluoroelastomers could revolutionise surgery and save lives

The proprietary material was originally developed by the Manchester based company to make artificial blood vessels, used to replace diseased arteries which can lead to heart attacks and strokes, and is capable of making significant improvements in surgery for vascular disease.

16 Jun 2004

Cholesterol lowering medications may reduce risk of glaucoma

Long-term use of statins, medications commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol, may be associated with a reduced risk of glaucoma among patients with cardiovascular diseases and high cholesterol, according to an article in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Jun 2004

Fruit consumption may protect against age-related maculopathy (ARM)

Eating fruit may help protect against the development of age-related maculopathy (ARM), an eye disease that can cause blindness, according to an article in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Jun 2004

Eye drops may prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans

Eye drops that reduce elevated pressure inside the eye can delay or possibly prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans at higher risk for developing the disease, researchers have found.

14 Jun 2004

New insights into the way the brain blends and balances information from different senses

New research has found that the brain continues to accept ambiguous visual information about an object in motion even when it conflicts with more reliable information that we can touch.

12 Jun 2004

Advertising restrcitions on some over the counter medicines likely to be lifted

Regulations to remove the current ban on advertising certain over the counter (OTC) medicines to the public were laid in Parliament today

9 Jun 2004

Research may help treat muscular dystrophies and other muscle diseases caused by glycosylation defects

Expressing high levels of a sugar-adding protein known as LARGE in mice that lack the protein can prevent muscular dystrophy in these animals, according to studies by researchers at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

7 Jun 2004

Tongue Display Unit allows blind people to see with their tongue

The Tongue Display Unit (TDU) can activate areas that are normally reserved for visual information and are unused when someone suffers from congenital blindness.

2 Jun 2004

Treating post-traumatic stress disorder

Trinity Western University researchers are conducting comparative studies for three treatments of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that, in the last 10 years, have helped reduce and eliminate PTSD symptoms in female victims of sexual assault.

2 Jun 2004

Suprising discovery in the retinas of colorblind people may help understanding of a number of eye disorders

The discovery of a surprise lurking in the retinas of colorblind people may have ramifications for understanding a number of eye disorders. Using a technique called “adaptive optics,” which was originally developed to help astronomers see more clearly through the Earth’s atmosphere.

2 Jun 2004

How to safely look at Venus passing across the face of the Sun

People could permanently damage their eyesight and even risk blindness if they look directly at Venus passing across the face of the Sun on June 8th warned the Government's Chief Medical Officer today as he offered eye-safe alternatives.

2 Jun 2004

Australian government programs help improve Indigenous eye health

The Australian Government today released the Review of the Implementation of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Program as well as its response.

28 May 2004

First-of-its-kind wearable low vision aid helps visually impaired

"Even with a cane or a guide dog, low-vision people can have a difficult time identifying obstacles that can be hazardous," said Eric Seibel, research assistant professor in mechanical engineering at the lab, who for the past four years has overseen the student team that developed the device. "This is another set of eyes looking out for them."

27 May 2004

Canada and U.S adopt the Global Solar Ultraviolet (UV) Index

The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the action by more and more Member States to adopt the Global Solar Ultraviolet (UV) Index. In recent days, Canada and the United States of America have begun using the Index (UVI), joining several other WHO Member States, to ensure that the UVI is used on a regular basis to educate people about the dangers of overexposure to UV radiation.

27 May 2004