Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Researchers capture light emission from the eye of a patient undergoing radiotherapy

For decades, theories have existed to explain patient reports of seeing light flashes during radiation therapy, even with their eyes closed.

7 Jan 2020

Dresden scientists identify newborn neurons in zebrafish

The zebrafish is a master of regeneration: If brain cells are lost due to injury or disease, it can simply reproduce them - contrary to humans where this only happens in the fetal stage. However, the zebrafish is evolutionarily related to humans and, thus, possesses the same brain cell types as humans.

7 Jan 2020

In Massachusetts, minors need permission for abortion, but that could change

She was 15 and recovering from rape, when she realized she was pregnant. She knew right away that she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. But as in many states, Massachusetts required — and still requires — minors to get a parent’s consent before an abortion.

7 Jan 2020

Zika virus can affect infants despite ‘normal’ testing at birth

A study reports that infants born to Zika-exposed mothers showed neurodevelopmental slowing despite testing as normal at birth.

7 Jan 2020

Prenatal phthalate exposure may contribute to deficits in motor function in girls

Scientists at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) have uncovered a link between prenatal exposure to phthalates--a ubiquitous group of plasticizers and odor-enhancing chemicals--and deficits in motor function in girls.

6 Jan 2020

New clinical study to test retinal screening processes for early detection of Alzheimer's disease

The University of Rhode Island, in collaboration with BayCare Health System in Florida and The Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital, an affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, is launching a clinical trial of retinal screening processes that could help clinicians detect Alzheimer's disease possibly two or more decades before patients develop life-altering clinical symptoms.

6 Jan 2020

Study underscores the importance of long-term follow-up for Zika-exposed infants

Colombian infants exposed to Zika virus in the womb showed neurodevelopmental delays as toddlers, despite having "normal" brain imaging and head circumference at birth, a finding that underscores the importance of long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up for Zika-exposed infants, according to a study published online Jan. 6, 2020, in JAMA Pediatrics.

6 Jan 2020

A reality check on artificial intelligence: Are health care claims overblown?

Health products powered by artificial intelligence, or AI, are streaming into our lives, from virtual doctor apps to wearable sensors and drugstore chatbots.

30 Dec 2019

New discovery has implications for better restoration of sight in AMD patients

Macular degeneration causes blindness in millions of people in the Western world. It is the most common cause of severe vision loss in the Western world among those aged 50 and over, and its prevalence increases with age.

26 Dec 2019

Reports of patients’ deaths linked to heart devices lurk below radar

The Food and Drug Administration continues to file thousands of reports of patients' deaths related to medical devices through a reporting system that keeps the safety data out of the public eye.

26 Dec 2019

Scientists discover neurons that play an important role in eye movement during REM sleep

REM - Rapid Eye Movement - is not only the name of a successful American rock band, but also and not least a characteristic eye movement in paradoxical sleep, so in the stage with high dream activity. This sleep phase has a peculiarity:

21 Dec 2019

MIT engineers generate first laser ultrasound images in humans

For most people, getting an ultrasound is a relatively easy procedure: As a technician gently presses a probe against a patient's skin, sound waves generated by the probe travel through the skin, bouncing off muscle, fat, and other soft tissues before reflecting back to the probe, which detects and translates the waves into an image of what lies beneath.

21 Dec 2019

Questions to ask before a surgical procedure

Patients usually have questions before a surgical procedure. Doctors like to know their patients are involved in their own care, and they appreciate listening to their concerns, answering their questions and knowing they're planning on a successful recovery.

20 Dec 2019

Using artificial intelligence to disassemble hunting behavior of zebrafish into its components

What is the common ground between making a cup of tea and putting on your shoes? Both actions consist of several movements in a row.

20 Dec 2019

Study reveals new role for a triple-negative breast cancer target

Unlike almost every other organ, the mammary gland does not develop until after birth. And it's unusually dynamic, shape-shifting during menstrual cycles, puberty, pregnancy, and lactation.

19 Dec 2019

Severe skin and mucous membrane lesions may occur in children with bacterial pneumonia

Painful inflammatory lesions of the skin and mucous membranes may occur in children who develop bacterial pneumonia.

19 Dec 2019

Study reveals how circadian rhythm changes the way mammals can see

How mammals perceive light changes between night and day. Researchers at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki discovered that mice were better at finding a dim light in pitch-darkness in experiments done at night time compared to ones done during the day time.

19 Dec 2019

New paper-based test for early Lyme diagnosis

A new paper in the journal ACS Nano reports the development of an incredibly cheap and highly sensitive test to diagnose Lyme disease in its earliest stages, when it can be most easily, effectively and inexpensively treated.

18 Dec 2019

Blue light may not be so bad for sleep

The sun provides warmth and a bright light with orange-yellow hues during the day. But at night, cold, dim, and white light from the Moon, which exposes people to light similar to blue wavelengths emitted by various types of artificial lighting. Previously, blue light has been dubbed as disruptive to a good night’s sleep.

18 Dec 2019

Study provides genomic insights into life history tradeoffs in butterflies

Have you ever wandered through your garden or a meadow on a summer day and wondered why and how butterflies exhibit such beautiful and diverse colors? Scientists have, especially when thinking about butterflies in the genus Colias. In most Colias butterflies, all males and most females are an orange or yellow color, but some females are white.

18 Dec 2019