Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Breast reconstruction surgery to become safer and more realistic

Breast reconstruction surgery will become both safer and more realistic thanks to research led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia.

7 Dec 2011

Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore establish Office of Clinical trials

Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have established an Office of Clinical Trials (OCT) to bring new therapies more rapidly to patients through the facilitation of efficient, compliant and timely conduct and management of clinical studies.

6 Dec 2011

Combination of metformin and exercise can prevent Type 2 diabetes

Kinesiology researcher Barry Braun of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and colleagues recently reported unexpected results of a study suggests that exercise and one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for diabetes, metformin, each improves insulin resistance when used alone, but when used together, metformin blunted the full effect of a 12-week exercise program in pre-diabetic men and women.

6 Dec 2011

Top-line primary endpoint data from Pfizer's Toviaz trial on overactive bladder

Pfizer Inc. announced today the top-line primary endpoint result for Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) Study A0221049 - Efficacy and Safety of Fesoterodine Flexible Dose Regimen in Vulnerable Elderly Patients with Overactive Bladder.

6 Dec 2011

Herzig Eye Institute named TearScience's first Center of Excellence

TearScience, Inc., a privately-held medical device company, today announced Toronto-based Herzig Eye Institute, one of the leading authorities in laser vision correction and advanced cataract and refractive surgery, as its first Center of Excellence.

5 Dec 2011

Towards a national plan of action for rare diseases

"Rare diseases", by their very definition, occur in no more than 5 people out of every 10,000 inhabitants. Barely noticed by the general public, only around 1,000 of the currently 6,000 or so different rare diseases currently listed on the Internet platform Orphanet are treatable nowadays.

5 Dec 2011

Post-baseline vision data from Lundbeck's Sabril patient registry presented at AES meeting

Post-baseline vision data from Lundbeck's Sabril patient registry is available for the first time today as a late-breaking poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society.

5 Dec 2011

State news: Mass. seeks Medicaid waiver extension; Calif. payment reform

The Employees Retirement System of Texas removed about 5 percent of those receiving state health benefits as dependents after they couldn't prove their rights to get the aid, the pension plan said in a report, citing an audit. Health care cost the $23.6 billion fund $2.29 billion in fiscal 2011.

3 Dec 2011

Multipronged approach needed to conquer malaria

"A malaria vaccine could be a powerful new tool," but "[c]ontrolling mosquitoes and diagnosing malaria remain essential. Among the highest priorities now is to develop new methods to do both," a Bloomberg editorial states.

3 Dec 2011

U.S. Marshals seize all Syntec's dietary supplements for false claims

U.S. Marshals, at the request of the FDA, today seized all dietary supplements by a Wisconsin maker for false claims made about their safety and effectiveness in treating a number of diseases.

2 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: Bush, Bono and others reflect on World AIDS Day; Coburn and Burr on Medicare savings

On this Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, the promise of progress against the disease has never been more vivid -; or more fragile. ... In lean budget times, the U.S. and the developing world must prioritize. But there can be no higher priority than saving lives. And there is no better way to save lives than to support and expand effective, proven programs such as Pepfar.

2 Dec 2011

Bausch + Lomb announces acquisition of Pfortner Cornealent SACIF

Bausch + Lomb, the global eye health company, today announced it has acquired 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Laboratorio Pfortner Cornealent SACIF, the controlling entity of Waicon.

2 Dec 2011

Perspectives from NEJM: Flaws in basic health plans, post-2012 scenarios, seeing eye-to-eye with patients

The ACA's incremental approach to near-universal coverage has raised concerns that changes in income, employment, and family composition will shift people into and out of different coverage arrangements over time. ... To address concerns about churning, some states are considering adopting a Basic Health Program.

2 Dec 2011

Different brain structures control eye reflexes in the course of life

Structures in the midbrain that developed early in evolution can be responsible for functions in newborns which in adults are taken over by the cerebral cortex. New evidence for this theory has been found in the visual system of monkeys by a team of researchers from the RUB. The scientists studied a reflex that stabilizes the image of a moving scene on the retina to prevent blur, the so-termed optokinetic nystagmus.

1 Dec 2011

Majority of people do not follow standard guidelines for lens wear and care

Most people who wear contact lenses perceive themselves as following standard guidelines for lens wear and care—but only a tiny minority are actually compliant with all recommended care steps, according to a study in the November issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

1 Dec 2011

Novel nanocarbon platform shows potential for future bioelectronic implants

Researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, a graphene-based transistor array that is compatible with living biological cells and capable of recording the electrical signals they generate.

1 Dec 2011

Mimicking eye movements of experts can help trainee surgeons learn surgical skills more quickly

Surgeons can learn their skills more quickly if they are taught how to control their eye movements. Research led by the University of Exeter shows that trainee surgeons learn technical surgical skills much more quickly and deal better with the stress of the operating theatre if they are taught to mimic the eye movements of experts.

1 Dec 2011

ACGME approves Cedars-Sinai's neurology residency training program

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has approved a neurology residency training program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Recruitment of the first group of three residents is under way through the 2012 "match," a process in which an independent organization pairs applicants with programs to meet the preferences of each.

30 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: GOP leaders, Obama share link to mandate; expensive benefits for seniors

I don't want to focus on the differences between Romney and Gingrich. I want to focus on the commonalities. Because these two men have a lot in common with not only each other but also with President Obama. Both Gingrich and Romney, for instance, supported a universal health care plan backed by an individual mandate requiring all Americans of means to purchase health-care insurance -; just as Obama does.

30 Nov 2011

Japan approves Visian Toric Implantable Collamer Lens

STAAR Surgical Company, the leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive refractive lenses, today announced that its Visian Toric Implantable Collamer Lens has been approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

29 Nov 2011