An alternative approach to help patients with central vision loss improve their sight is effective, new research suggests. Scientists have found that older patients still have flexibility in their visual system, which allows them to adapt their perception and increase their functional vision. Perceptual learning techniques may provide a useful new approach to rehabilitation in… [Continue Reading]
Supplements for Eye Health Can Reduce Risk for Macular Degeneration, But Can’t Halt Disease Progress
May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Taking a suite of supplements can reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, but don’t help prevent progression of the disease once it occurs, a new study suggests. The study found that the supplements had no effect on disease progression in patients enrolled in a randomized trial. In a large, multicenter, randomized clinical trial… [Continue Reading]
Recurring Aspirin Use Linked to Increased Risk of Vision Loss by Age-Related Macular Degeneration
January 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Aspirin is broadly used as a painkiller and to prevent heart disease, but its long-term use might bring an increased risk of vision loss. A new study has found that those taking aspirin have a higher risk of age-related macular degeneration, which causes vision loss as we get older. Regular aspirin use appears to be… [Continue Reading]
Changes in Eye Blood Vessels Predict Glaucoma
January 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Glaucoma is a serious condition linked to vision loss over time, and researchers have been searching for ways to detect the disease early. A new study has found that changes in the eye’s blood vessels can predict the disease well in advance of visual symptoms. A new study finds that certain changes in blood vessels… [Continue Reading]
Scientists Create Cells That Could Form Materials for Corneal Transplants
December 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Scientists have now successfully generated a type of eye cell that can be grown in the lab that models a component of the cornea. Researchers expect work on the cells to help them better understand eye function, and potentially use the cells for treating corneal disease. Human corneal endothelial cells (HCEnCs) form a monolayer of… [Continue Reading]
Cheap Eye Drug Poses Risk for Vision
June 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
While keeping health-care costs under control is an important concern, new work suggests that in a comparison between two eye medications, the more expensive one is worth the price. Between the two competing drugs, the cheaper version is more likely to cause serious inflammation. A Queen’s University study of two eye drugs used to treat… [Continue Reading]
New Cell-Based Therapies to Replace Cornea Under Development
June 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Researchers have taken an important step in creating cell-based therapies for the degeneration of the cornea, which would circumvent the need for donors for transplants. The new technique involves injection of a certain corneal cell type that has improved adhesion to the eye. Regenerative medicine, or the use of specially grown tissues and cells to… [Continue Reading]
Molecular Basis Discovered for the Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Age-related macular degeneration is a significant cause of vision loss, and new research has discovered one of the key molecular steps that regulate its progression. An inflammatory protein called IL-18 increases as the disease develops, suggesting new treatment options to slow or halt vision loss. Scientists at Trinity College Dublin have discovered that a part… [Continue Reading]
Stem Cells Could Create Corneas for Transplant
March 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Cornea transplants are sometimes required to save patients’ vision, but the waiting list for receiving donated tissue is long. Scientist have now reported the creation of a cornea in the laboratory by culturing stem cells and a damaged cornea as a template. A new cornea may be the only way to prevent a patient going… [Continue Reading]
Gene Therapy for Blindness Effective in Animal Models
January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Retinis pigmentosa is a genetic disease that causes the gradual loss of vision, leading to blindness. Researchers have developed a gene therapy approach to cure the disease in animal models, by delivering a functioning copy of a missing gene to the eye. A new gene therapy method developed by University of Florida researchers has the… [Continue Reading]