Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Study: Subconscious changes in day-to-day movements can predict Alzheimer’s disease

As people go about their daily activities, complex fluctuations in their movement occur without conscious thought. These fluctuations -- known as fractal motor activity regulation (FMAR) -- and their changes are not readily detectable to the naked eye, but FMAR patterns can be recorded using a wristwatch-like device known as an actigraph.

23 Jun 2021

Women who use hormonal contraceptives face higher risk of developing glaucoma

Women who currently use hormonal contraceptives face more than a 2-fold higher risk of developing glaucoma, according to an analysis of electronic medical records for women aged 15-45 years from 2008 to 2018.

23 Jun 2021

Study shows that neurons establish functional connections only with one retina

The visual thalamus is classically known to relay visual stimuli coming from the retina to the cerebral cortex. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology now show that although neurons in the mouse visual thalamus connect to both eyes, they establish strong functional connections only with one retina.

21 Jun 2021

Deep learning could transform the ability to accurately interpret HIV test results

Pioneering technology developed by UCL and Africa Health Research Institute researchers could transform the ability to accurately interpret HIV test results, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

18 Jun 2021

Controlling brain state transitions using a molecule responsive to light

A study led by researchers from IBEC and IDIBAPS achieves, for the first time, the control of brain state transitions using a molecule responsive to light, named PAI.

18 Jun 2021

New details on transport protein could help develop drugs for neurological diseases

New details on the structure and function of a transport protein could help researchers develop drugs for neurological diseases that are better able to cross the blood-brain barrier.

18 Jun 2021

Precision medicine may lead to more effective treatments for ocular conditions

The most practical solution for drug delivery to the eyeball is topical, i.e. eye drops. However, a naturally occurring substance in tears actually can interact with the drug delivery system (DDS), hindering absorption of the drug and preventing it from getting into the cells it needs to target.

17 Jun 2021

Study sheds new light on the function of a sight-saving growth factor

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have determined how certain short protein fragments, called peptides, can protect neuronal cells found in the light-sensing retina layer at the back of the eye.

17 Jun 2021

Researchers explore potential exposure to microbial agents in-utero

The human fetal immune system begins to develop early during gestation, however, factors responsible for fetal immune-priming remain elusive.

16 Jun 2021

How coordination between the brains and bodies of infants develop during sleep

To better understand the processes that take place while infants sleep, a group of researchers studied the twitching movements of infants during REM sleep.

16 Jun 2021

Researchers identify specific cells and proteins that control the sneeze reflex

A tickle in the nose can help trigger a sneeze, expelling irritants and disease-causing pathogens. But the cellular pathways that control the sneeze reflex go far beyond the sinuses and have been poorly understood.

16 Jun 2021

New eye surface reconstruction method using mussel adhesive protein

The eye is the first sensory organ that recognizes the presence or shape of an object. The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane that covers the front half of the eyeball.

15 Jun 2021

Study finds ‘widespread’ use of toxic chemicals in a range of cosmetics

Cosmetics from the United States have been found to contain high levels of polyuoroalkyl substances (PFAS), associated with a range of harmful conditions.

15 Jun 2021

New approach to gene therapy uses common pain reliever to fight against genetic diseases

Researchers have developed a new approach to gene therapy that leans on the common pain reliever acetaminophen to force a variety of genetic diseases into remission.

14 Jun 2021

New mathematical model helps simulate progression of age-related macular degeneration

Researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have created a mathematical model and simulated numerically the progression of age-related macular degeneration, one of the main causes of blindness.

14 Jun 2021

In alleged health care ‘money grab,’ nation’s largest hospital chain cashes in on trauma centers

After falling from a ladder and cutting his arm, Ed Knight said, he found himself at Richmond, Virginia’s Chippenham Hospital surrounded by nearly a dozen doctors, nurses and technicians — its crack “trauma team” charged with saving the most badly hurt victims of accidents and assaults.

14 Jun 2021

AI identifies gene signatures to reveal patients’ immune responses to viral infection

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine used an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to sift through terabytes of gene expression data -- which genes are "on" or "off" during infection -- to look for shared patterns in patients with past pandemic viral infections, including SARS, MERS and swine flu.

11 Jun 2021

Compound may block COVID-19 virus from entering lung cells, study reports

Research conducted at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence reports that Elovanoids, bioactive chemical messengers made from omega-3 very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids discovered by the Bazan lab in 2017, may block the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering cells and protect the air cells (alveoli) of the lung.

10 Jun 2021

New cloud technologies expand brain sciences

People often think about human behavior in terms of what is happening in the present--reading a newspaper, driving a car, or catching a football. But other dimensions of behavior extend over weeks, months, and years.

10 Jun 2021

Can a subscription model fix primary care in the US?

In April, San Francisco-based primary care company One Medical revealed an eye-popping compensation package for its chief executive and chairman, Amir Dan Rubin. His $199 million payday, particularly noteworthy at a company that has yet to turn a profit, made Rubin the second-highest-paid CEO in the United States last year — but only on paper.

10 Jun 2021