Visual Impairment News and Research

Latest Visual Impairment News and Research

Early infection in low-birth-weight infants linked with poor neurodevelopmental

Extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants who have an infection during their hospitalization following birth are more likely to have adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes than those infants who do not have an infection, according to a study in the November 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Nov 2004

Instructions provided with medicines is far too small for people with impaired or partially sighted vision to read

When you're in your local pharmacy, do you ever try to compare the lables on products, only to find that the print is impossible to read? A new study goes a little way to remedy this, at least for those who are visually impaired.

16 Nov 2004

Discovery of new method for visual impairment treatment

The patients suffering from visual impairment can be helped if a healthy donor’s cerebrospinal fluid is introduced to the parent’s vertebral canal – this method is called liquortransfusion.

1 Nov 2004

FDA warns of risks associated with using decorative contact lenses

This Halloween season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is again warning consumers about the serious risks of using decorative contact lenses distributed without appropriate involvement by an eye care professional.

29 Oct 2004

The biggest risk for children during Halloween is being hit by a car

While many parents painstakingly inspect the pounds of sugary loot brought home each Halloween, they need to keep in mind that candy tampering isn’t the largest concern they face.

30 Sep 2004

Boldly colored tableware is a mealtime aid to those with severe Alzheimer's disease

According to new visual perception research from a team at Boston University, the use of boldly colored tableware is a mealtime aid to those with severe AD, helping individuals overcome a diminished sensitivity to visual contrast, a condition often found among people with advanced AD.

26 Sep 2004

Findings about diabetic eye disease may lead to improved screenings and treatment for people with diabetes

Eli Lilly and Company have announced key findings from analyses of prior study data that enhances understanding of vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy, a diabetic microvascular complication that affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

10 Sep 2004

Students will temporarily lose their sight in an attempt to gain an understanding of what it could be like to have vision impairment

“Students are blindfolded for a period of about one hour,” she said. “It really demonstrates how much we take for granted – suddenly activities such as eating and socialising become difficult and exhausting. There is always at least one dinner guest who feels they can’t cope and has to remove their blindfold.”

17 Aug 2004

Latinos living in the United States have high rates of eye disease and visual impairment

Researchers found that Latinos had high rates of diabetic retinopathy, an eye complication of diabetes; and open-angle glaucoma, a disease that damages the optic nerve.

9 Aug 2004

Cataract more prevalent in African American nursing home residents than white residents

A cataract is a cloud or film that can form on the lens of a person's eye. The presence of a cataract can degrade the quality of one's vision by blocking and scattering light as it enters the eye. It is often associated with chronic exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

13 Jul 2004

Eye drops may prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans

Eye drops that reduce elevated pressure inside the eye can delay or possibly prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans at higher risk for developing the disease, researchers have found.

14 Jun 2004

The worldwide prevalence of glaucoma is increasing

Early diagnosis of glaucoma is essential to prevent irreversible visual impairment, according to a Seminar in this week's issue of The Lancet.

20 May 2004

Increasing number of cases of wet age-related macular degeneration

Nearly all retina specialists are greatly alarmed by the increasing number of cases of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of severe vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 50, and believe the disease will have a serious impact on the public.

11 May 2004

Scientists have developed a better form of omega-3 fish oil

University of Georgia scientists have developed a form of omega-3 fish oil that's easier for people to absorb and leaves no fishy aftertaste.

23 Apr 2004

Diabetic eye disease on the rise

With the aging of the population, the number of Americans with major eye diseases is increasing, and vision loss is becoming a major public health problem. By the year 2020, the number of people who are blind or have low vision is projected to increase substantially. These findings appear in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

15 Apr 2004