Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Cord blood can improve social communication skills in autistic children

In a recent study, Duke researchers tested whether a single infusion of a unit of a child's own or donor cord blood could improve social communication skills in children between the ages of 2-7 diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

19 May 2020

Spraying disinfectants on streets can be harmful, WHO warns

The interim guidance released by the WHO aims to help health authorities formulate and implement policies on the disinfection of environmental surfaces during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

18 May 2020

New vaccine appears to be highly protective against Ebola infection in mice

As the world focuses on finding a COVID-19 vaccine, research continues on other potentially catastrophic pandemic diseases, including Ebola and Marburg viruses.

18 May 2020

Study: U.S. COVID-19 cases could have been much higher without social distancing measures

As stay-at-home orders are being lifted in some states and extended in others, uncertainty continues to surround the COVID-19 pandemic.

15 May 2020

The dreaming brain suppresses information from the outside world

Scientists from the CNRS and the ENS-PSL in France and Monash University in Australia have shown that the brain suppresses information from the outside world, such as the sound of a conversation, during the sleep phase linked to dreaming.

15 May 2020

Boehringer Ingelheim partners with CDR-Life to develop antibody fragment-based therapeutics for geographic atrophy

Boehringer Ingelheim and CDR-Life today announced they have entered into a collaboration and licensing agreement to research and develop antibody fragment-based therapeutics for geographic atrophy (GA).

From Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH 15 May 2020

Eye research charity relaunches virtual event to educate kids about eye health during lockdown

Eye research charity Fight for Sight is encouraging parents and children to embark on a virtual journey during lockdown to learn more about the inner workings of the eye.

15 May 2020

New imaging device can help detect early biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised a new imaging device capable of measuring both the thickness and texture of the various layers of the retina at the back of the eye.

15 May 2020

IOB director wins Greenberg Prize for ending blindness by 2020

Professor Botond Roska, Director at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) and Professor at the University of Basel, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science, has won the Sanford and Susan Greenberg Visionary Prize "for uniquely valuable research having the greatest impact toward advancing restoration of vision in human patients."

15 May 2020

GlobalData: U.S. should provide citizens with lifesaving tools to reduce COVID-19 second wave

Following the news that the US Senate is considering the ‘Opening Up America Again’ act;

15 May 2020

New textile coating prevents viruses from adhering to the surface

Masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential for protecting healthcare workers. However, the textiles and materials used in such items can absorb and carry viruses and bacteria, inadvertently spreading the disease the wearer sought to contain.

14 May 2020

COVID-19 lockdown exit strategies: deliverance or disaster?

A new study by researchers at the University of Cambridge, Universidad de Sevilla, and the University of Massachusetts, published on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020, shows that it is essential to choose a restrictive exit strategy while easing COVID-19 lockdowns, because failure to do so may lead to catastrophic results.

13 May 2020

New study to evaluate drug combination treatment for uveitis

Two in 10,000 people are at risk of serious sight loss from a form of eye inflammation known as uveitis. A new clinical research study, led by the University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), will evaluate a drug combination treatment for the eye disease thanks to funding of £2.5 million by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

13 May 2020

New project aims to create special glasses for people with keratoconus

A Fight for Sight funded research study will work to create spectacle lenses for people with the eye disease keratoconus.

13 May 2020

U.S. physician survey highlights impact and burden of Thyroid Eye Disease on patients’ quality of life

Horizon Therapeutics plc today announced results of a U.S. physician survey showing that endocrinologists and ophthalmologists perceive Thyroid Eye Disease to have a significant burden on their patients’ quality of life.

13 May 2020

New method to control inflammatory response induced by COVID-19

Severe COVID-19 illness can result in excessive inflammation throughout the body, including the lungs, heart and brain. University of Minnesota Twin Cities student Molly Gilligan recently published an article in the journal Cancer & Metastasis Reviews that studied the human body's robust inflammatory response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is now recognized as a hallmark symptom.

13 May 2020

Eating one meal high in saturated fat may hinder our ability to focus

Fatty food may feel like a friend during these troubled times, but new research suggests that eating just one meal high in saturated fat can hinder our ability to concentrate - not great news for people whose diets have gone south while they're working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 May 2020

A comprehensive analysis of evidence-based information to help manage myopia

A new literature analysis published in Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics, the peer-reviewed journal of The College of Optometrists, gives eye care practitioners (ECPs) a comprehensive analysis of evidence-based information needed to help manage myopia.

12 May 2020

Potential for COVID-19 transmission from human eye

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in May 2020 reports the presence of ACE2 receptors in the eye at high concentrations. These molecules are the entry points for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is causing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

12 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 could spread through surface of the eyes

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus could spread via ocular or eye surfaces. This is because the receptor where the virus binds – the ACE2, is also expressed on human eyes, they note.

11 May 2020