Feature Channels: Vision

• share
• favorite_border

The number of people with visual impairment or blindness in the United States is expected to double to more than 8 million by 2050, according to projections based on the most recent census data and from studies funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. Another 16.4 million Americans are expected to have difficulty seeing due to correctable refractive errors that can be fixed with glasses, contacts or surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published today by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Roski Eye Institute in JAMA Ophthalmology found that the U.S. prevalence in visual impairment (VI) and blindness is expected to double over the next 35 years. By 2050, the number of Americans with a variety of eye disease and impairment issues, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR) and cataracts, will dramatically increase impacting both individuals and society.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School have designed three new eyeglasses using high-power prisms to optimally expand the visual fields of patients with hemianopia, a condition in which the visual fields of both eyes are cut by half. The new designs, described in Optometry and Vision Science, address some limitations of existing prism correction available to this population.

• share
• favorite_border

Cornea tissue is a promising biomaterial for Brad Boyce, a Sandia National Laboratories materials scientist. More than a decade after Boyce and his co-workers investigated the biomechanics of dissected cow corneas, their findings have been confirmed in healthy human eyes.

• share
• favorite_border

click to view today's top stories

• share
• favorite_border

Light sensitivity, or photophobia, is a frequent symptom of migraine headaches, which affect nearly 15 percent of the world’s population. A new study, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and published today in Brain, has found that exposing migraine sufferers to a narrow band of green light significantly reduces photophobia and can reduce headache severity.

• share
• favorite_border

click to view today's top stories

• share
• favorite_border

click to see today's top stories

• share
• favorite_border

click to see today's top stories

• share
• favorite_border

Ever search desperately for something, then realize you're looking straight at it the whole time? Research indicates that vision is controlled by the part of the brain associated with thinking. And in sight, too, it can be absent minded.

• share
• favorite_border

click to see today's top stories

• share
• favorite_border

Daniel Deligio, O.D., treats a rare disease and provides successful treatment plan for Sam Peppers.

• share
• favorite_border

Early structural changes in the back of the eye — now visible with a newly developed eye scan — may indicate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Seattle, Wash.

• share
• favorite_border

A medicated silicone ring that rests on the surface of the eye and slowly releases medication reduced eye pressure in glaucoma patients by about 20 percent over six months. These multi-center randomized clinical trial results are the first published research on this type of continuous glaucoma drug delivery technology, which could benefit the nearly 3 million people in the United States with glaucoma. Published in Ophthalmology, journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

• share
• favorite_border

Building on existing evidence, vision researchers have found that limiting exposure to blue light after sunset increases the quality and length of sleep. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Seattle, Wash.

• share
• favorite_border

Pterostilbene (PS), a component of blueberries, have been found to protect against dry eye disease according to a new study. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Seattle, Wash.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study has shown that Ebola survivors may be at risk of severe vision loss or blindness weeks after being declared virus-free. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Seattle, Wash.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have safely transplanted stem cells derived from a patient’s skin to the back of the eye in an effort to restore vision. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Seattle, Wash.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists have successfully implanted a prosthesis that restores some central vision in patients with only limited peripheral vision remaining to them – the first time artificial and natural vision has ever been integrated in humans. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Seattle, Wash.

• share
• favorite_border

Sjogren's syndrome affects an estimated four million people in the U.S., but diagnosis is often delayed because its symptoms are similar to other conditions. A new study in the American Journal of Physiology—Cell Physiology describes a protein with the potential to be an earlier and more precise indicator of the disease.

• share
• favorite_border

According to new research, injection of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) offers similar protection as a low calorie diet against nerve degeneration in rats with glaucoma. The research is being presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Seattle, Wash.

• share
• favorite_border

In a study of nearly 650 people with the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD), half still had vision 20/40 or better, typically good enough to drive or to read standard print, after five years of treatment with anti-VEGF drugs that are injected into the eye. The authors of the study, funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health, say those outcomes would have been unimaginable about 10 years ago, prior to the drugs' availability.

• share
• favorite_border

Patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of major vision loss in older people, still show benefits from a new class of therapy -- originally developed to treat cancer -- after long-term treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

RPB President Brian F. Hofland will present an overview of investigations conducted by leaders in the fields of retinal imaging, early disease detection, and photoreceptor regeneration and transplantation. The RPB featured scientists will be present for Q&A.

• share
• favorite_border

The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of NIH, is participating in the Inaugural Press Conference from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting (ARVO 2016).

• share
• favorite_border

Pioneering gene therapy has restored some vision to patients with a rare form of genetic blindness for as long as four years, raising hopes it could be used to cure common causes of vision loss, new University of Oxford research published today shows.

• share
• favorite_border

The Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest gathering of eye and vision researchers in the world, with over 11,000 attendees from more than 75 countries. Two free events will feature speakers highlighting recent successes — and emerging threats — facing ophthalmic clinicians and researchers around the world.

• share
• favorite_border

This ARVO Meeting showcases cutting-edge eye and vision science and an early glimpse into the latest advances in potential treatments for eye disease and blindness — often years ahead of their introduction to the clinic.

• share
• favorite_border

World-leading researchers from Queen’s University Belfast are among a team of scientists from the USA and Ireland who are collaborating to develop a novel treatment for diabetes-related blindness.

• share
• favorite_border

Feature story with patient perspective emphasizes the importance of having a comprehensive dilated eye exam, which is the best way to find out for sure if eyes are healthy.

• share
• favorite_border

Magnifying Smartphone Screen Apps For Visually Impaired, Online Anti-Bullying Programs, A One Atom Engine and more in the Technology News Source

• share
• favorite_border

Adam Gordon, O.D., discusses blue light, including the lack of clinical evidence in advertisements overstating dangers, as well as the effects of blue light on sleep and eye discomfort.

• share
• favorite_border

Children with vision problems not correctable with glasses or contact lenses may be twice as likely to have a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), suggests a study in the May issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have developed a smartphone application that projects a magnified smartphone screen to Google Glass, which users can navigate using head movements to view a corresponding portion of the magnified screen. They have shown that the technology can potentially benefit low-vision users, many of whom find the smartphone’s built-in zoom feature to be difficult to use due to the loss of context.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of researchers who specialize in treating cancers of the eye wanted to identified EZH2 as a marker for aggressive basal cell skin cancer. It may also provide a potential target for treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

Today's imaging technologies allow highly sensitive cameras to detect even the faintest glimmers of light. Unfortunately, however, highly sensitive pieces of optical equipment are also highly susceptible to damage. Intense light beams overwhelm devices designed to detect single photons.

• share
• favorite_border

As medical professionals search for new ways to personalize diagnosis and treatment of disease, RPB-supported researchers at the University of Iowa have already put into practice what may be the next big step in precision medicine: personalized proteomics.

• share
• favorite_border

Combining the best features of a lobster and an African fish, University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have created an artificial eye that can see in the dark. And their fishy false eyes could help search-and-rescue robots or surgical scopes make dim surroundings seem bright as day.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) have demonstrated that targeting survivin – a protein that inhibits apoptosis or cell death – enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy in cells and mouse models of retinoblastoma (Rb).

• share
• favorite_border

The swirling skies of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night illustrate a mystery that has eluded biologists for more than a century—why do we perceive the color blue in the dimly lit night sky? A newly discovered mechanism of color vision in mice might help answer this question, Caltech researchers say. - See more at: http://www.caltech.edu/news/midnight-blue-new-system-color-vision-50480#sthash.LZOgpxTk.dpuf

• share
• favorite_border

A common antihistamine used to treat symptoms of allergies and the common cold, called clemastine fumarate, partially reversed damage to the visual system in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

• share
• favorite_border

David E. Cobrinik, MD, PhD, of The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has been awarded a four-year grant totaling $1.665 million from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The grant will support his study seeking to improve understanding of how cone photoreceptors develop.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Basel University Hospital in Switzerland investigate the biochemical and physiological characteristics of orbicularis oculi, a group of facial muscles that control the eyelids and are selectively spared or involved in different neuromuscular disorders. What they found also helps to explain why another set of muscles—the extraocular muscles that control the movement of the eye—are not affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, congenital muscular dystrophy, and aging.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have identified inflammatory factors that contribute to optic nerve damage following keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation in a mouse model. They have also shown that blocking one of the factors, TNFa, leads to a significant decrease in optic nerve cell death, suggesting a new direction for preventing optic nerve damage in patients with keratoprosthesis implants.

• share
• favorite_border

Eduardo C. Solessio, Ph.D., has been awarded $1,821,375 from the National Institutes of Health, National Eye Institute for a five-year study to establish how the time course of rod responses contribute to visual temporal contrast sensitivity in dim light. Deficits in detecting small differences in contrast interfere with the ability to perform everyday visual tasks such as reading, driving, or face recognition.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute have shown an association between a defective myogenic response — the regulatory increase or decrease in blood pressure to keep blood flow within the vessels of the retina constant — and early, accelerated development of retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes. These findings, published online today in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, identify one mechanism to explain why some patients develop diabetic retinopathy sooner than others. Furthermore, the findings provide a target for future study, which may lead to therapies to delay or prevent the development of accelerated onset diabetic retinopathy.

• share
• favorite_border

Imagine contact lenses that can deliver medicines directly to the eye, slow progression of nearsightedness in children, or monitor glucose levels in patients with diabetes. Those are some of the emerging advances in contact lens technology reported in the April special issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

• share
• favorite_border

Ever see something that isn't really there? Could your mind be playing tricks on you? The "tricks" might be your brain reacting to feedback between neurons in different parts of the visual system, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience by Carnegie Mellon University Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Sandra J. Kuhlman and colleagues.

• share
• favorite_border

Massachusetts Eye and Ear has awarded five research grants through the Curing Kids Fund to support projects aimed at advancing treatments for pediatric diseases related to the institution’s areas of expertise.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Georgia State University and the University of Chicago have found that congenitally blind adults use gestures -- important markers in language development in children -- similar to those by sighted adults, even though they've never seen the gestures before.