Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Cognoptix' SAPPHIRE II eye test identifies Alzheimer's disease patients via Ab signature in the eyes

Cognoptix, an emerging medical device company, announced today that its SAPPHIRE II eye test identified Alzheimer's disease patients via a beta amyloid ("Ab") signature in their eyes in a 10-subject proof-of-concept clinical trial.

23 May 2013

Study provides comprehensive blueprint for understanding diabetes

Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.

22 May 2013

Prostaglandin analogues cause droopy eyelids, new study finds

Prostaglandin analogues, drugs which lower intraocular pressure, are often the first line of treatment for people with glaucoma, but their use is not without risks.

22 May 2013

IRS scandal, HHS fundraising stir the health law political pot

The Obama administration's efforts to raise money from private sources for the health law have led some likely donors to become "skittish." Meanwhile, as GOP lawmakers seek to link the Internal Revenue Service issues to the health law, media outlets examine the IRS's reach in this regard.

21 May 2013

Study reports good long-term outcomes after surgery in infants with PFSDH

Posterior fossa subdural hematoma is a serious and rare condition in newborns, generally occurring after difficult deliveries. But with appropriate treatment, there's an excellent chance of good long-term outcomes even in severe cases of PFSDH, reports a study in the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

21 May 2013

Employers eye limited plans to avoid health law penalties

The Wall Street Journal reports that "bare-bones" health plans may help some employers avoid the law's fines. Meanwhile, the Journal Sentinel explores how investors are assessing winning or losing stocks as a result of the law's implementation.

21 May 2013

Recombinant human albumin from Novozymes Biopharma helps innovative dry eye therapy move into clinical trials

Novozymes Biopharma, part of Novozymes A/S world leader in bioinnovation, today announced that an ophthalmic solution made using its recombinant human albumin, has been approved for Phase I/II development by the FDA.

20 May 2013

First Edition: May 20, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the policy and political issues currently surrounding the health law's implementation.

20 May 2013

Measuring genetic diversity within tumor predicts outcomes of patients with head and neck cancer

A new measure of the heterogeneity - the variety of genetic mutations - of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer.

20 May 2013

Republicans pressing link between Obamacare and IRS scandal

News coverage of the ongoing IRS scandal is focusing on Republican criticism of Sarah Hall Ingram, who is now in charge of helping to implement the health care law.

20 May 2013

Study: VEGF inhibitor appears to improve glaucoma surgical outcomes

The most common cause of failure after glaucoma surgery is scarring at the surgical site, so researchers are actively looking for ways to minimize or prevent scar formation. Previous work had suggested that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) activates fibrosis, whereas VEGF inhibition results in reduced scar formation and better surgical results.

18 May 2013

Study reveals that heart disease risk factor management differs among outpatient practices

Control of heart disease risk factors varies widely among outpatient practices, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2013.

17 May 2013

Controversy lurks as cloning technique yields embryos with eye on stem cell therapies

Political and ethical fights over human cloning may follow the latest stem cell therapy advance after scientists created embryos that are genetic copies of living people in an effort to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's.

17 May 2013

Research sheds new light on occupation-specific rehabilitation

After cardiac surgery, should a farmer and an attorney take the same physical test to be found fit for work? They do now. But new research from Jenny Adams, PhD, at Baylor Health Care System's Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital, could change that.

16 May 2013

Hospitals: Calif. bidding war intensifies; Va. system eyes children's facility

The business of hospitals makes news in California -- where sides are engaged in a bidding war to buy a famed Santa Monica hospital; Virginia -- where pediatricians eye a new children's hospital; and Oregon, where lawmakers passed a new hospital tax.

16 May 2013

Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals recognized as a rare disease pioneer

Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the Company was recognized last evening as a rare disease pioneer at the 30th anniversary celebration of The National Organization for Rare Disorders.

15 May 2013

New study reveals another duet played by Notch and BMP signals

A small ensemble of musicians can produce an infinite number of melodies, harmonies and rhythms. So too, do a handful of workhorse signaling pathways that interact to construct multiple structures that comprise the vertebrate body.

15 May 2013

Fish oil supplements may not alter progression of age-related macular degeneration, say researchers

A large-scale National Eye Institute study has shown fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids do not alter the progression of age-related macular degeneration, says a national team of researchers including David M. Brown, M.D., an retina specialist at The Methodist Hospital who ran Houston's part of the study.

14 May 2013

Study: Rb plays critical role in maintaining starvation-induced transcriptome

A particular tumor suppressor gene that fights cancer cells does more than clamp down on unabated cell division -- the hallmark of the disease -- it also can help make cells more fit by allowing them to fend off stress, says a University of Colorado Boulder study.

13 May 2013

UC Berkeley vision scientists pinpoint how the brain tracks fast-moving objects

How does San Francisco Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval swat a 95 mph fastball, or tennis icon Venus Williams see the oncoming ball, let alone return her sister Serena's 120 mph serves? For the first time, vision scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have pinpointed how the brain tracks fast-moving objects.

9 May 2013