Category: eye diseases
Waterford City, Ireland, October 26, 2009 -- Results of an important new study show that implantation of blue light-filtering intraocular lens (IOLs) at the time of cataract surgery increases a nu
Two experimental treatments, a retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant, restored some vision to people with blinding eye diseases. The findings, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health, may lead to new treatments for the blind.
A new study reports that transplanted pigment-containing visual cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) successfully preserved structure and function of the specialized light-sensitive lining of the eye (known as the retina) in an animal model of retinal degeneration.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA?Highlights of October's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, include good news on preserving vision in people with type 1 diabetes, a warning from the Cardiovascular Health Study for macular degeneration patients, and a report on how vision impacts well-being across the lifespan.
Scientists have identified the first long-term, effective treatment to improve vision and reduce vision loss associated with blockage of large veins in the eye. This research was part of a multi-center, phase III clinical trial supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health.
A newly designed computational method has proven its usefulness in counting copies of duplicated genome sequences and in doing initial assessments of their contents, according to a study to be published Aug. 30 in Nature Genetics. The number of copies of particular DNA segments can differ from one person to the next.
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Gene mutations that impair the ability of photoreceptor cells to properly dispose of waste -- and as a result cause the blinding eye disease retinitis pigmentosa -- have been identified by vision researchers at the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center. The discovery raises concerns that carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (medications often used to treat both heart and eye diseases) may adversely affect vision. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is one of the most common causes of blindness. It affects one in 3,500 people or approximately two million people worldwide. Patients with RP typically are diagnosed with night blindness and, as the disease progresses, they eventually lose all of their peripheral vision and a significant portion of their central vision.
Eye diseases like glaucoma could one day be treated by pharmaceuticals delivered through contact lenses. Chemical engineers from the University of Florida say they've been able to make soft contact lenses containing tiny embedded particles that slowly release drugs directly where they're needed. The research was presented today at the 225th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, held this week in New Orleans.