Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Bats may be a common source of many viral diseases

Where do viruses dangerous to humans come from, and how have they evolved? Scientists working with Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten, Head of the In-stitute for Virology at the Universit-tsklinikum Bonn, have made significant progress in answering this question. "We already knew from prior studies that bats and rodents play a role as carriers of paramyxoviruses," said Prof. Drosten.

25 Apr 2012

Researchers develop small endoscopic device fitted with femtosecond laser scalpel

Whether surgeons slice with a traditional scalpel or cut away with a surgical laser, most medical operations end up removing some healthy tissue, along with the bad. This means that for delicate areas like the brain, throat, and digestive tract, physicians and patients have to balance the benefits of treatment against possible collateral damage.

24 Apr 2012

Politics and policy: Exploring the GOP's health law alternatives

The Los Angeles Times reports that the health reform plan embraced by Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney may be "more revolutionary" than the current health law. Also, Reuters examines some of the policies congressional Republicans are considering if the Supreme Court overturns the law.

24 Apr 2012

Computational adaptive optics for real-time in-vivo applications

Real-time, 3-D microscopic tissue imaging could be a revolution for medical fields such as cancer diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery and ophthalmology. University of Illinois researchers have developed a technique to computationally correct for aberrations in optical tomography, bringing the future of medical imaging into focus.

24 Apr 2012

Scientists identify new way to deliver long-lasting pain relief

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified a new way to deliver long-lasting pain relief through an ancient medical practice.

24 Apr 2012

R-Tech Ueno completes RK-023 phase I study on hypotrichosis of the eyelashes

R-Tech Ueno is pleased to announce the completion of a phase I clinical study of RK-023, a new compound that is being developed for the treatment of hypotrichosis of the eyelashes.

24 Apr 2012

Novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

A research team, led by John Guy, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has pioneered a novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), an inherited genetic defect that causes rapid, permanent, and bilateral loss of vision in people of all ages, but primarily males ages 20-40.

24 Apr 2012

Cosmetic contact lens on the rise among Malaysians

Malaysia’s beauty contact lens market is fast catching up with developed countries in the region such as Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, which are all exhibiting similar upward trending in the sales of these beauty accessories. GfK retail tracking reported Malaysians spending a total of nearly USD 55 million on contact lenses in 2011, of which 28 percent was contributed by the beauty segment.

23 Apr 2012

NEI awards Scripps Research $10.2M grant to develop new treatments for vision disorders

A team led by a scientist from The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a five-year, $10.2 million grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to develop a new type of treatment for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and other common vision disorders.

23 Apr 2012

Nano-devices cross blood-brain barrier to deliver drug to treat cerebral palsy

A team of scientists from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have developed nano-devices that successfully cross the brain-blood barrier and deliver a drug that tames brain-damaging inflammation in rabbits with cerebral palsy.

23 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 23, 2012

Today's headlines feature advance information about what the trustees who oversee Medicare and Social Security will say about the financial well-being of these massive programs when they release their annual report later today.

23 Apr 2012

Study shows how cocaine changes the shape and size of neuron rewards in mouse model

New research from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York reveals that repeated exposure to cocaine decreases the activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system, thus enhancing the reward for cocaine use, which leads to addiction. Investigators were also able to block the ability of repeated cocaine exposure, to induce addiction.

23 Apr 2012

FDA clears Abbott’s iFS Femtosecond laser for use in cataract surgery

Abbott announced today U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance to use its iFS Advanced Femtosecond Laser to create bow-shaped or curved arcuate incisions in corneal surgery, including cataract surgery.

21 Apr 2012

Researchers discover novel genetic mechanism of idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a novel genetic mechanism of immune deficiency. Magdalena M. Gorska, MD, PhD, and Rafeul Alam, MD, PhD, identified a mutation in Unc119 that causes immunodeficiency known as idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia.

21 Apr 2012

ACT announces dosing of third patient in dry AMD Phase I/II trial

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today the dosing of the third patient in its Phase I/II trial for dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells.

21 Apr 2012

Obama administration will expand use of competitive bidding in Medicare

A year-long experiment found that the competitive bidding approach saved money without harming beneficiaries. It also made inroads against waste and fraud.

20 Apr 2012

Possibility to render cancer tumours harmless without affecting other cells

New research findings show how it may be possible to render cancer tumours harmless without affecting the other cells and tissues in the body. The findings apply to cancers including breast, lung and bowel cancer. The study was carried out at Lund University in Sweden.

20 Apr 2012

Chinese scientists make significant breakthrough in animal cloning

Chinese scientists from BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, together with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Shihezi University, Xinjiang province, made a significant breakthrough in animal cloning.

20 Apr 2012

NHS surgery waiting times and time of discharge under scrutiny

The NHS medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, has written to Strategic Health Authorities saying it is unacceptable to send people home when they may have no family support. Figures show that 100 NHS trusts sent 239,233 patients home between 23:00 and 06:00 in 2011. The Times reported that some 3.5% of all hospital discharges took place between those hours and this rate had steadily held for the past five years. The Times had contacted 170 NHS trusts in England but only 100 responded. The rates of those discharged varied widely between different hospitals.

19 Apr 2012

Regenerative medicine research offers hope for the blind

The University College London researchers transplanted immature vision cells directly into the mouse retina. They noted that within weeks the cells began to integrate into the retina and the researchers, led by Prof Robin Ali in the university’s Institute of Ophthalmology, were able to show that vision began to return to the mice.

19 Apr 2012