Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

BubR1 and its associated regulators promising targets for aging disorders and cancer

A new series of studies in mouse models by Mayo Clinic researchers uncovered that the aging process is characterized by high rates of whole-chromosome losses and gains in various organs, including heart, muscle, kidney and eye, and demonstrate that reducing these rates slows age-related tissue deterioration and promotes a healthier life span. The findings appear in today's online issue of Nature Cell Biology.

18 Dec 2012

Partisan differences persist on taxes and Medicare, other entitlement programs

Meanwhile, news outlets report that some Senate Republicans are working on a back-up plan that would cancel certain tax increases scheduled to take effect next year for most Americans.

15 Dec 2012

Combination therapy reduces sleep apnea symptoms at altitude

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea can better control their symptoms when traveling to higher altitudes by combining autoadjusted continuous positive airway pressure with acetazolamide, research suggests.

14 Dec 2012

CBT most effective for children with post-traumatic stress disorder

Research published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews confirms the effectiveness of psychologic therapy for children with post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy.

13 Dec 2012

Bumetanide could treat children with severe autism or Asperger's syndrome

Although this therapy is not curative, it nevertheless reduced the autistic disorders' severity in three-quarters of the children. The researchers have filed a request for authorisation to perform a multi-centre European clinical trial in order to determine more precisely the population concerned by this therapy.

13 Dec 2012

Roundup: Health centers moving into contaminated tracts; Mass. budget cuts worry health advocates

The community health center rising on a derelict corner here in West Philadelphia never would have broken ground if not for the asbestos inside the building that was demolished to make way for it. Because of the contamination, Spectrum Health Services received a $2 million federal cleanup grant, the first piece of a $14 million construction financing puzzle.

13 Dec 2012

The argument for vision insurance

Individuals with vision insurance are more likely than those without it to have had recent eye care visits, and to have no difficulty reading printed matter or recognizing their friends from across the street, report US researchers.

12 Dec 2012

Picaa app helps children and teenagers with some kind of cognitive, visual or hearing disability

This application -named Picaa- can be used on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and has been translated into several languages (English, Galician, Arab, etc.). This application has topped the 20,000 downloads from App Store -mainly from Spain and the USA- since its release. Picaa is a system designed for the development of learning and communication activities to be performed in class.

12 Dec 2012

Capsules: A day of stark state differences on health exchanges; Eye experts: States should make vision care an exchange benefit

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Colorado Public Radio's Eric Whitney and News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders, working in collaboration with KHN and NPR, offered updates regarding their respective state's action on health exchanges: "Friday is the deadline for states to decide if they want to build and operate their own exchanges or have the federal government do it.

12 Dec 2012

Older adults with visually impairing eye disease limit their activities due to fear of falling

A new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science found that between 40 to 50 percent of older adults with visually impairing eye disease limit their activities due to a fear of falling. Vision scientists warn that this protective strategy puts seniors at risk for social isolation and disability.

12 Dec 2012

Combination of imaging and biomarker tests helps predict Alzheimer's in patients with MCI

Employing a combination of imaging and biomarker tests improves the ability of doctors to predict Alzheimer's in patients with mild cognitive impairment, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

11 Dec 2012

Mass. Eye and Ear opens new outpatient surgical center in Longwood/Mission Hill

Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Longwood, a new outpatient surgical center at 800 Huntington Avenue in the Longwood/Mission Hill area of Boston, opened today to patients.

11 Dec 2012

Study finds silent reading difficulties in glaucoma patients

Better strategies are needed to help glaucoma patients cope with difficulty reading. According to a new scientific study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, adults with glaucoma read slower when reading silently for long periods of time and are more likely to have their reading speed decrease over time, possibly a result of reading fatigue.

11 Dec 2012

FDA clearance for LENSAR Laser System

LENSAR Inc., developer of the next generation LENSAR Laser System™ for refractive cataract surgery, announced today that the company's laser system has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for executing corneal incisions during cataract surgery.

10 Dec 2012

Children's eyes at greater risk for permanent damage from sunlight

Anderson Cooper, host of "Anderson Live," was temporarily blinded for 36 hours following a two-hour boat trip in Portugal where the sun damaged and burnt his cornea. Eye health concerns like cataracts, skin cancer of the eyelids and melanoma in the retina can all result from sun-damaged eyes.

7 Dec 2012

Study reveals dual role for Norrin/Frizzled-4 protein pair

Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have shed light on the activity of a protein pair found in cells that form the walls of blood vessels in the brain and retina, experiments that could lead to therapeutic control of the blood-brain barrier and of blood vessel growth in the eye.

7 Dec 2012

People with glaucoma show delayed eye movement reaction times

Rapid eye movements are significantly delayed in patients with glaucoma, even those in the early stages of the disease, research has found.

7 Dec 2012

Using Nanoparticles to Target Cancer

An interview with John Stroh, discussing the development of nanoparticles that can target and treat cancer, without damaging nearby tissues.

6 Dec 2012

Five EyeSmart toy-buying tips from American Academy of Ophthalmology

With the holiday season upon us, children are busy making their wish lists and checking them twice. But, parents may need to check them yet again to ensure toy safety. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 250,000 toy-related injuries are treated in emergency rooms each year.

5 Dec 2012

Hebrew University researchers pave way for development of new approaches to cure malaria

More than a million people die each year of malaria caused by different strains of the Plasmodium parasite transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. The medical world has yet to find an effective vaccine against the deadly parasite, which mainly affects pregnant women and children under the age of five. By figuring out how the most dangerous strain evades the watchful eye of the immune system, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now paved the way for the development of new approaches to cure this acute infection.

4 Dec 2012