Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Glaucoma could be an autoimmune disorder, study suggests

Glaucoma, a disease that afflicts nearly 70 million people worldwide, is something of a mystery despite its prevalence. Little is known about the origins of the disease, which damages the retina and optic nerve and can lead to blindness.

10 Aug 2018

One in two people putting their eye health at risk during summer, says eye research charity

Leading eye research charity Fight for Sight says that one in two people is putting their eye health at risk during sunny weather by not always wearing ultraviolet protective sunglasses to protect their eyes.

10 Aug 2018

Australian research breakthrough could lead to more effective treatments for dry eye disease

Australian researchers have made an important breakthrough in understanding the composition of the tear film that protects our eyes, leading to more effective treatments for dry eye disease.

10 Aug 2018

Lax oversight leaves surgery center regulators and patients in the dark

The first man died in April 2014. Another died later that month. Then on July 18 of that year, a woman was rushed to a hospital where she was told she was lucky to be alive.

9 Aug 2018

Structure of a long-chain lipid that keeps our tears clear revealed

As anyone who has experienced an annoying alternation between dry and watery eyes can confirm, tears alone aren't enough to keep the eye from drying out. A microscopically thin film of oils known as the tear film lipid layer is key to preventing the tear film from evaporating.

9 Aug 2018

Study finds link between degenerative eye conditions and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is difficult to diagnose as well as treat, but researchers now have a promising new screening tool using the window to the brain: the eye.

9 Aug 2018

Breathing ‘a chore’: California wildfires threaten the health of young and old

Debbie Dobrosky noticed a peculiar hue in the sky on Monday — "a very ugly yellow casting" — as she peeked outside. A large cloud of smoke had begun to cover the sun.

8 Aug 2018

Long term effects of Zika virus exposure during pregnancy studied

Zika is a mosquito borne virus that can be dangerous in pregnant women as it can cause severe congenital malformations and damage to the baby. The extent of danger however is not known and a large study followed children who were exposed to this virus during their time within the womb.

7 Aug 2018

Study provides guidance about screen time harming children’s vision

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has provided evidence that they hope will arm parents with knowledge about the rising level of eye strain seen among children who spend too much time on computer screens.

7 Aug 2018

Injecting vasoactive intestinal peptide into the eye enhances corneal graft survival

A new study in the American Journal of Pathology reports for the first time that injection of neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal peptide directly into the eye of mice enhanced corneal graft survival.

7 Aug 2018

Tips to helps parents make informed choices about their children's eye health

As children spend more time tethered to screens, there is increasing concern about potential harm to their visual development. Ophthalmologists – physicians who specialize in medical and surgical eye care – are seeing a marked increase in children with dry eye and eye strain from too much screen time.

7 Aug 2018

Saving sight of millions by making eye injections safe and comfortable

Two eye surgeons have written a first-of-its-kind book to save the sight of millions of patients around the world by making eye injections safe and comfortable.

7 Aug 2018

Red blood cells contribute to cardiovascular diseases in patients with type 2 diabetes

Harmful effects of substances secreted from red blood cells could explain the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in patients with type 2 diabetes, the results of two new studies conducted at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden indicate.

6 Aug 2018

In weary post-storm Puerto Rico, Medicaid cutbacks bode new ills

Blue tarps still dot rooftops, homes lack electricity needed to refrigerate medicines, and clinics chip away at debts incurred from running generators. Yet despite the residual effects from last year's devastating hurricanes, Puerto Rico is moving ahead with major cuts to its health care safety net that will affect more than a million of its poorest residents.

6 Aug 2018

Snapchat dysmorphia - 'selfie-face' aspirations see rise in plastic surgery requests

Snapchat and Facetune as well as other social media apps come under fire in a new JAMA article. These apps are being increasingly used, causing more and more youngsters to alter and edit their faces to modify their actual appearance.

6 Aug 2018

Wireless Vital Signs Monitor tracks critical health information in warfighters and civilians

A technology designed to treat injured warfighters on the battlefield is proving its worth to civilian emergency-response teams.

3 Aug 2018

Scientists solve 60-year-old mystery of how thalidomide caused birth defects

More than 60 years after the drug thalidomide caused birth defects in thousands of children whose mothers took the drug while pregnant, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have solved a mystery that has lingered ever since the dangers of the drug first became apparent: how did the drug produce such severe fetal harm?

2 Aug 2018

How rival opioid makers sought to cash in on alarm over oxycontin’s dangers

As Purdue Pharma faced mounting criticism over deaths linked to OxyContin, rival drugmakers saw a chance to boost sales by stepping up marketing of similarly dangerous painkillers, such as fentanyl, morphine and methadone, Purdue internal documents reveal.

2 Aug 2018

Even after lobectomy a child's brain rewires to compensate for the lost parts

An amazing new case study reports on an 11-year-old boy, code named UD (to protect his privacy), who underwent a procedure to remove a part of his brain that resulted in the rewiring of the rest of it over time.

1 Aug 2018