Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Scientists show knocking out key signals will cause diabetes

Using a revolutionary technique to turn off chemical signals inside the cell, scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that the different metabolic abnormalities present in type 2 diabetes can be caused by knocking out two key signals in liver cells.

11 Feb 2005

Oak Ridge technology used to understand semiconductor defects helps people at risk of becoming blind

Millions of people at risk of becoming blind could one day be helped by an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology originally intended to understand semiconductor defects.

10 Feb 2005

Screening for toxoplasmosis for all pregnant women and newborns is necessary

Physicians found that signs, symptoms and identifiable risk factors are absent in more than half of the mothers of infants with congenital toxoplasmosis in a national study of children with this disease.

9 Feb 2005

Traditional Indian medicine, herb Salacia oblonga may help treat diabetes

Herbs used in traditional Indian medicine to treat diabetes seems to lower blood sugar and insulin levels in a manner similar to prescription drugs, a new study reports.

8 Feb 2005

Eye thermal radiation can indicate a disease even before clinical signs appear

The eyes are not only a mirror of a soul, but also a medical record. Their thermal radiation can indicate a disease even before clinical signs appear. Investigations in this area conducted by Russian scientists have been supported by the research program of the Russian Academy of Sciences called “Abstract Sciences for Medicine”.

7 Feb 2005

Furan, a potentially dangerous chemical has been found in processed foods

A new study by McGill researchers Dr. Varoujan Yaylayan and graduate student Carolina Perez Locas explains the presence of this chemical in a wide range of food products.

3 Feb 2005

When the tongue slips, the eyes have it

How is it that we can look at a door and accidentally call it a window or call a shovel a rake? When people mislabel objects, they often blame themselves for rushing their words or not paying attention.

27 Jan 2005

Melanopsin plays a key role in the inner workings of the eye

A Brown University team has found that a protein called melanopsin plays a key role in the inner workings of mysterious, spidery cells in the eye called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, or ipRGCs.

26 Jan 2005

Supermarket bakery workers are at considerable risk of developing work related asthma

The researchers looked at 239 employees from 20 in-store bakeries for a supermarket chain. They collected data from questionnaires on a number of respiratory symptoms including chest tightness, breathing difficulties, chest wheezing or whistling, running or itchiness of the nose and eyes and sneezing. They also used skin prick tests to check for allergies associated with baking.

26 Jan 2005

Research into foot-eye coordination

By measuring how people respond when a stepping stone suddenly shifts its position mid-step, researchers at the Institute of Neurology in London have shown that a powerful visual process controls the stepping foot – a process similar to that used for manual reaching, in which the hand is rapidly and automatically driven by visual information.

26 Jan 2005

Brain regions decide where we look

Scientists have found the brain regions that decide where we look, and where to direct our eyes when we’re faced with a difficult choice, such as looking someone straight in the eye or looking away.

25 Jan 2005

Basic biochemical composition of heart valves in patients with congestive heart failure are markedly different than those with healthy hearts

Surprising new findings in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology show that the basic biochemical composition of heart valves in patients with congestive heart failure are markedly different than those with healthy hearts, a finding that may explain the mixed success of surgery to repair valve dysfunction in these patients.

25 Jan 2005

Many of George Bush's health policies likely to be controversial in second term

Many health policies under George Bush's second term in office are likely to be controversial, warns a leading British doctor and an American colleague in this week's BMJ.

20 Jan 2005

Astonishing discovery that could change our understanding of attention deficit disorders

British researchers from Brunel University have made an astonishing discovery that could change our understanding of attention deficit, impulsivity and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

18 Jan 2005

New technology an option for severe nearsightedness

A new surgical procedure that has improved eyesight in people who have severe nearsightedness and face a dearth of treatments has made its way to western New York.

17 Jan 2005

Human Genome Project may have made traditional race-based measurements of human differences obsolete

New and sophisticated methods for studying the relationship between human genetic differences, the environment, health and behavior, all made possible by the completion of the Human Genome Project, have made traditional race-based measurements of human differences obsolete

17 Jan 2005

Soy may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease

Every 34 seconds, an American man or woman dies of cardiovascular disease. Now, research suggests that a diet rich in soybean oil can help. Two new studies shed light on the power of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) to reduce heart disease risk. Soybean oil provides an excellent source of ALA, as do leafy greens, some nuts and flax.

12 Jan 2005

Infants have much to say if adults will only listen

A baby's first sounds, other than crying, may baffle parents. Is that soft "coo" the sound of contentment? Boredom? Nothing more than a reflex?

12 Jan 2005

Macular degeneration patients benefit from self-management training

A 12-hour self-management program for individuals with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leads to lasting improvements in mood and function, especially in depressed patients, and decreases the development of clinical depression in AMD patients over time, according to a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Shiley Eye Center study published in the January 2005 Archives of Ophthalmology.

10 Jan 2005

Scientists reveal how we recognise the look of fear

Whether it's the look of love, happiness, or the look of fear, humans use facial expressions to communicate important information to one another. But which parts of the brain read these cues, and how do they do it?

10 Jan 2005