Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

Does alcohol kill brain cells?

Several origins have been suggested for the idea that alcohol kills brain cells. Some link it to the temperance movement, which called for prohibition of alcohol.

9 Jul 2012

Employers eye defined contribution health coverage

In other news on health care marketplace issues, TriWest loses its challenge to the Pentagon's new contract for military health care, and researchers find prices increasing for children's care.

6 Jul 2012

Prescription drug warning labels fail to capture patients' attention

Many patients seem to ignore prescription drug warning labels with instructions that are critical for safe and effective use, according to a study by a Kansas State University researcher working with scientists at Michigan State University.

6 Jul 2012

Exercise-based treatment effective in treating persistent dizziness

A professor from the University of Southampton has called on doctors around the world to give patients with persistent dizziness a booklet of simple exercises, after new research has shown that it is a very cost effective treatment for common causes of the condition.

5 Jul 2012

Tips to help keep safe while celebrating Independence Day

As the Fourth of July approaches, emergency departments across the country are already beginning to treat patients injured by fireworks. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, hand and finger damage are the most common injuries caused by fireworks and account for 32 percent of all injuries reported.

4 Jul 2012

Early childhood adversity linked with depression and inflammation

When a person injures their knee, it becomes inflamed. When a person has a cold, their throat becomes inflamed. This type of inflammation is the body's natural and protective response to injury. Interestingly, there is growing evidence that a similar process happens when a person experiences psychological trauma. Unfortunately, this type of inflammation can be destructive.

4 Jul 2012

Physicists develop new nanoscale materials using moth eyes

Using the compound eyes of the humble moth as their inspiration, an international team of physicists has developed new nanoscale materials that could someday reduce the radiation dosages received by patients getting X-rayed, while improving the resolution of the resulting images.

4 Jul 2012

FDA approves Abbott’s Healon EndoCoat OVD device

Abbott announced today that it has expanded its Healon family of ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Healon EndoCoat OVD, a device intended for use as a surgical aid in cataract extraction and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.

4 Jul 2012

Hay fever symptom severity plateau identified

Study findings suggest that individuals sensitized to Poaceae, a family of land grasses, experience increasing severity in hay fever symptoms in line with daily levels, up to a saturation point.

2 Jul 2012

Watching 3D movies can lead to visual and motion sickness

Watching 3D movies can "immerse" you in the experience—but can also lead to visual symptoms and even motion sickness, reports a study - "Stereoscopic Viewing and Reported Perceived Immersion and Symptoms", in the July issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

2 Jul 2012

Health system changes move forward

Press reports detail the steps that might happen next in terms of the health law's implementation as well as what the decision might mean for consumers.

30 Jun 2012

Enlightening risk factor findings for REM sleep behavior disorder

Cigarette smoking, head injury, farming, pesticide exposure, and a lower level of education may be risk factors for idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, researchers report.

29 Jun 2012

Blindsight in monkeys is available in everyday environments

The visual information from eyes is sent into the brain unconsciously even if you are not aware. One of examples of unconscious seeing is a phenomenon of "blindsight" [Subjects have no awareness, but their brains can see] in subjects with visual impairment, caused by the damage of a part of the brain called the visual cortex.

29 Jun 2012

Study explains why memory improves on a high-DHA diet

We've all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper? Medical researchers at the University of Alberta discovered a possible explanation and just published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

29 Jun 2012

Senior citizens report fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts

Today's senior citizens are reporting fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts from a generation ago, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Improved techniques for cataract surgery and a reduction in the prevalence of macular degeneration may be the driving forces behind this change, the researchers said.

29 Jun 2012

Potential risk factors for disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep

Smoking, head injury, pesticide exposure, farming and less education may be risk factors for a rare sleep disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep, according to a study published in the June 27, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jun 2012

UI Health first in the Midwest to offer LenSx femtosecond laser for cataract patients

A new laser system for cataract surgery, with accuracy to a few hundred-thousandths of an inch, allows eye surgeons to optimize and customize the incision and ensure the best possible outcome.

28 Jun 2012

Romney, Obama offer messaging previews for the coming health law decision

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney says if the court strikes down the law, it shows President Barack Obama wasted three years. If court upholds it, he promises to get rid of the law if elected. Obama tells a campaign crowd the law is critical to expanding coverage to those who can't get it.

28 Jun 2012

Vaccine for nicotine addiction developed

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed and successfully tested in mice an innovative vaccine to treat nicotine addiction.

28 Jun 2012

Bed cluster models improve patient care

When hospitals group patient rooms into small clusters, nurses have more time for their patients. But the design of these 'bed clusters' is important.

27 Jun 2012