Eye News and Research

Latest Eye News and Research

RIT professor designs database with physician input and novel eye-tracking techniques

Digital archives of biomedical images could someday put critical information at doctors' fingertips within seconds, illustrating how computers can improve the way medicine is practiced. The current reality, however, isn't quite up to speed, with databases virtually overwhelmed by the explosion of medical imaging.

3 Aug 2010

Abnormal eye movements, neurobehavioral impairments common among relatives of patients with autism: Report

Abnormal eye movements and other sensorimotor and neurobehavioral impairments appear common in unaffected family members of individuals with autism, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Aug 2010

Research links body weight to glaucoma risk

This month's Ophthalmology journal includes surprising research from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary on the relation of body weight to the risk for glaucoma. Also, from researchers at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, comes the first specific map of how the development of myopic maculopathy, an illness that afflicts many severely nearsighted people, predicts which patients will be most susceptible to vision loss.

3 Aug 2010

Team to execute research strategies surrounding oil spill health outcomes

While oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill may have stopped gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, experts are far from finished working to anticipate, outline and minimize the disaster's potential health risks, says a University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health researcher actively involved in helping the federal government deal with repercussions from the April 20 accident.

31 Jul 2010

Siepser donates Lasik procedure to Shane Victorino Foundation for raising funds

Steven Siepser, M.D., one of the Delaware Valley's most distinguished ophthalmologists, is donating a Lasik eye procedure to the Shane Victorino Foundation.Money raised during the benefit goes to the Shane Victorino Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged youth in Hawaii and Philadelphia with educational, recreational and wellness programs.

31 Jul 2010

Despite all advancements in melanoma diagnosis, rapid treatment remains critical: Report

Twenty-five years after publishing the mnemonic "ABCD" to facilitate the early diagnosis of melanoma, the group who came up with that moniker says early detection remains a key factor in lowering mortality from malignant melanoma. Darrell S. Rigel, M.D. and colleagues from the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at New York University School of Medicine say that, despite all of the advances in melanoma diagnosis, timely recognition, detection, and rapid treatment of melanoma remain critical.

30 Jul 2010

Wash. regulations would restrict pain killer prescriptions; Texas Lt. Gov. bemoans costs associated with health law; Fla. insurance pilot project shows early success

The New York Times: "In an unusual move, a state government is developing regulations meant to stop doctors from prescribing higher doses of powerful — and often dangerous — pain killers for patients who are not benefiting from them. The effort, in Washington State, represents the most sweeping attempt yet to stem what some experts see as the excessive use of prescribed narcotics, and it is being closely watched by medical professionals elsewhere.

30 Jul 2010

USPTO grants IRIDEX patent for Adjustable Laser Probe for use in vitreoretinal surgery

IRIDEX Corporation today announced the receipt of an Issue Notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. Patent No. 7,766,904, "Adjustable Laser Probe For Use In Vitreoretinal Surgery." This patent applies to a number of consumable medical devices already in the IRIDEX product line, collectively identified and sold as Adjustable and Intuitive EndoProbe® laser handpieces.

29 Jul 2010

ACT responds to FDA queries on Phase I/II study using ES cell derived retinal cells to treat SMD

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced today that it has submitted documentation and a complete response to substantively address the issues raised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in connection with the Company's plans to initiate a Phase I/II multicenter study using embryonic stem (ES) cell derived retinal cells to treat patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD).

29 Jul 2010

REM sleep behavior disorder may later lead to neurologic disorders

A new study shows that a sleep disorder may be a sign of dementia or Parkinson's disease up to 50 years before the disorders are diagnosed. The research is published in the July 28, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Jul 2010

Price of sun overindulgence and tanning misuse is not just skin deep

It's what marketers lead us to believe is the picture of glowing health - the ultimate tan. But sun overindulgence and tanning misuse does have a price. And it's not just skin deep.

28 Jul 2010

NEI, FDA to sponsor Glaucoma Endpoints conference

The National Eye Institute and the Food and Drug Administration are sponsoring a Glaucoma Endpoints conference on September 24, 2010, to develop definitions and standards for describing structural changes in the glaucomatous optic nerve and functional changes in vision, as criteria for approval of new glaucoma therapeutics in clinical trials. The one-day meeting will take place at the Natcher Center, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

28 Jul 2010

Regeneron second-quarter total revenues increase to $115.9 million

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2010. The Company reported a net loss of $25.5 million, or $0.31 per share (basic and diluted), for the second quarter of 2010 compared with a net loss of $14.9 million, or $0.19 per share (basic and diluted), for the second quarter of 2009.

28 Jul 2010

LCA-Vision second-quarter revenues decrease to $26.3 million

LCA-Vision Inc., a leading provider of laser vision correction services under the LasikPlus® brand, today announced financial and operational results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010.

27 Jul 2010

QLT second-quarter total revenue increases 15.4% to $12.4 million

QLT Inc. today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010. Unless specified otherwise, all amounts are in U.S. dollars and in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

27 Jul 2010

Parents of children with ASD turn to evidence-based behavioral treatment methods

One of the most common initial red flags reported by parents of children with autism is that they suspect their child may be deaf because he or she no longer responds to his or her name, and does not look at them when they speak. However, the lack of response or eye contact can point to an Autism Spectrum Disorder. In fact, many children on the autism spectrum do not demonstrate typical language skills and social behavior, or even lose language or social skills they once had.

27 Jul 2010

Medical device complications send more than 70,000 kids to ER annually

The Associated Press: The first detailed national estimate on complications in medical device use by children says that more than 70,000 kids a year have to go to emergency rooms because of complications from medical devices, with contact lenses the leading culprit. "About one-fourth of the problems were things like infections and eye abrasions in contact lens wearers.

27 Jul 2010

Alcon second-quarter global sales increase 12.5% to $1.89 billion

Alcon, Inc. reported that global sales rose 12.5 percent to $1.89 billion for the second quarter of 2010, or 11.3 percent excluding the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations and acquisitions. Revenue from acquisitions added 40 basis points to sales growth in the quarter, while foreign currency fluctuations added 80 basis points of growth.

27 Jul 2010

UCLA Health System launches hand transplantation program

The UCLA Health System has launched the new UCLA Hand Transplantation Program, the first of its kind on the West Coast and only the fourth such center in the United States. The program will help those who have suffered the traumatic loss of a hand or forearm and allow them to regain function and improve their quality of life. Qualified candidates are now being sought for a clinical study of the procedure.

27 Jul 2010

Study on role of nucleolinus in cell cycle regulation

When searching for long-lost treasure, sometimes all you need is a good flashlight.Such a "flashlight," developed at the Marine Biological Laboratory's Josephine Bay Paul Center, has been used to illuminate a long-neglected cellular component - the nucleolinus - and confirm its role in cell division.

23 Jul 2010