Feature Channels: Vision

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Our vision depends on exquisitely organized layers of cells within the eye’s retina, each with a distinct role in perception. Johns Hopkins researchers say they have taken an important step toward understanding how those cells are organized to produce what the brain “sees.” Specifically, they report identification of a gene that guides the separation of two types of motion-sensing cells, offering insight into how cellular layering develops in the retina, with possible implications for the brain’s cerebral cortex.

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With the help of computerized eye trackers, a new cognitive science study finds that at least 50 percent of people can see the movement of their own hand even in the absence of all light.

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It’s almost time to don your outfit for the 31st, but keep in mind some important safety tips, say doctors at Philadelphia’s Wills Eye Hospital, that may keep you from doing real harm to your eyes -potentially landing yourself in the emergency room and in some cases, risking permanent vision loss.

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New research on myopia—how it develops, risk and protective factors, and potentially effective measures for prevention and treatment are reported across twenty articles in the November issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Some of the most common vision disorders take their toll by damaging blood vessels near the retina. But it’s difficult for eye care professionals and researchers to see these vessels with standard techniques. NIH’s National Eye Institute is supporting the development of new methods to get deeper, more detailed views of the retinal vasculature.

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If your Halloween costume includes changing your eye color, think twice before wearing cosmetic contact lenses.

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Just 13 days in space may be enough to cause profound changes in eye structure and gene expression, report researchers. Their study is the first to examine eye-related gene expression and cell behavior after spaceflight.

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A promising technique for treating human eye disease has proven effective in preclinical studies and may lead to new treatments to prevent blindness, according to experiments conducted at The Scripps Research Institute. The studies involved controlling the actions of microRNAs.

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Contact lens discomfort may be the leading cause of patient dissatisfaction with, and discontinuation of, contact lens wear throughout the world — but there is little agreement among vision researchers and eye care professionals about how to define and manage its causes. T the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society organized the TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort and findings were reported Friday in the current issue of journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (www.iovs.org).

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A team of University of Washington computer scientists has created a software program that watches a user's movements and gives spoken feedback on what to change to accurately complete a yoga pose. Researchers hope this will allow people who are blind or low-vision to participate more fully in yoga exercises.

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Tufts University researchers have identified a possible topical treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The findings are the first to report successful topical use of a compound with the potential to treat both major forms of AMD, which can currently only be treated in later stages with regular injections into the eye.

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A Mayo Clinic study looked at one of those -- cataract surgery-- and found that more people are getting the vision-improving procedure, seeking it at younger ages and having both eyes repaired within a few months, rather than only treating one eye.

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Neuroscientists have identified the location in the brain's visual cortex responsible for generating a common perceptual illusion: seeing shapes and surfaces that don't really exist when viewing a fragmented background.

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Blurred images that are unidentifiable as still pictures become understandable once the images are set in motion. That’s because of a phenomenon called "optic flow"—which may be especially relevant as a source of visual information in people with low vision, reports a study ‘With an Eye to Low Vision: Optic Flow Enables Perception Despite Image Blur’, (published online ahead of print, September 3, 2013) in the October issue of Optometry and Vision Science official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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A recent report by the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigators Group (PEDIG) provides evidence that increasing patching from two to six hours a day is effective at treating persistent amblyopia. The research was funded by the National Eye Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

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While researchers expected that the pond turtle’s eyes would operate like other animals with eyes on the side of their heads, this particular species of turtle appears to have characteristics of both front and side-eyed animals.

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A lens invented at The Ohio State University combines the focusing ability of a human eye with the wide-angle view of an insect eye to capture images with depth.

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An international team of researchers, led by scientists at The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, have identified a gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over age 50.

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Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine today published new findings in the hunt for a better treatment for macular degeneration. In studies using mice, a class of drugs known as MDM2 inhibitors proved highly effective at regressing the abnormal blood vessels responsible for the vision loss associated with the disease.

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Researchers have developed the first animal model simulating the eye complications associated with the thyroid condition Graves’ disease, a breakthrough that could pave the way for better treatments, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s journal Endocrinology.

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Techniques developed by astronomers seeking a clear view of objects in space are coming closer to home, as eye care professionals apply the concept of wavefront optics to understanding—and correcting—subtle visual abnormalities of the human eye, according to a special article in the September issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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How will emerging 21st century toxicity testing technologies impact agricultural products?  How do they fit in the life cycle of discovery, regulatory registration and product defense or product stewardship? What’s the outlook for improved, science-informed hazard prediction and risk assessment? Those and other topics are on the agenda here today at a symposium during the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Biomedical engineers have created a new drug-delivery strategy for a type of central vision loss caused by blood vessel growth at the back of the eye, where such growth should not occur. The team gave the drug a biodegradable coating to keep it in the eye longer. If effective in humans, monthly needle sticks to the eye, which are the current standard of care, could be replaced with only two or three injections per year.

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Scientists are developing a clearer picture of how visual systems develop in mammals. The findings offer important clues to the origin of retinal disorders later in life.

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Researchers in Taiwan have discovered that people with sleep apnea are far more likely to develop glaucoma compared to those without the sleep condition. The results of this study, which is the first to calculate the risk of the disease among people with the sleep disorder following diagnosis, is published in this month’s edition of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

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Cataract surgery can lead to good results from a clinical standpoint yet have poor outcomes from the patient's point of view, reports a study, “Analyzing Patient-Reported Outcomes to Improve Cataract Care”, appearing in the August issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been chosen as one of 12 sites in the United States to offer the first FDA-approved bionic eye for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

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When it comes to damaging sun rays, skin protection is a top priority for many. But there is another area that needs to be brought into focus – the eyes.

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Investigators at Massachusetts Eye and Ear have published the most thorough description of gene expression in the human retina reported to date.

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Two Salk studies pave the way to better computer object recognition and future therapies for visual disorders.

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University Hospitals Eye Institute will be one of the first medical centers in the United States to offer the Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System (“Argus II”).

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University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System Eye and Ear Infirmary only site in Illinois to offer bionic eye.

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Sophisticated new optical quality metrics can identify older adults likely to have more rapid age-related declines in vision, suggests a study, “Factors Accounting for the 4-Year Change in Acuity in Patients Between 50 and 80 Years”, in the July issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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For the first time, visually impaired mathematics students will be able to remotely communicate with teachers in math’s precise written language by using a system developed at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in cooperation with gh LLC.

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Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have demonstrated that sensory regions in the brain develop in a fundamentally different way than previously thought, a finding that may yield new insights into visual and neural disorders.

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Like animal predators attacking their prey, some bacteria consume and kill other bacteria. Scientists report progress in putting predator microbes to work, attacking antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause infections that lead to blindness.

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University of Iowa ophthalmologists have tested a new drug to treat age-related macular degeneration in older patients. The researchers report that half of the eyes treated responded to the new drug, Eylea, with reduced fluid in the eyes, while one in three had improved vision after six months. Results appear in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

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An investigational new drug significantly improved a common and debilitating circadian rhythm sleep disorder that frequently affects people who are completely blind, a multicenter study finds. The results were presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

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With technology and a good idea, SLU ophthalmology residents change lives.

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Pediatric ophthalmologist warns too much or too little sunlight bad for kids.

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Perceptual learning techniques may provide a useful new approach to rehabilitation in patients with central vision loss—taking advantage of visual plasticity that persists even in old age, according to a special article in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Stowers investigators discover how an unusual interplay of signaling pathways shapes a critical eye structure

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A large-scale NEI study of age-related macular degeneration suggests fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids do not alter the progression of age-related macular degeneration, and that lutein and zeaxanthin may be safer than beta-carotene in reducing risk of disease progression.

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Mayo Clinic ophthalmology researchers will be well represented at The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2013, with 25 presentations and posters, including five papers over the five days of the conference. ARVO will hold its annual meeting from May 5-9 in Seattle.

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Mutations in a gene that helps regulate copper and oxygen levels in eye tissue are associated with a severe form of nearsightedness, according to a study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics on May 2, 2013.

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A Taiwanese study finds that when children are required to spend recess time outdoors their risk of nearsightedness is reduced. A related Danish study shows a direct correlation between seasonal daylight, eye growth and nearsightedness progression.

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If your contact lenses are causing you discomfort, simply switching to a different type of contact lens or lens care product may bring improvement, reports a study, “Effect of Lens and Solution Choice on the Comfort of Contact Lens Wearers”, appearing in the May issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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The irony of getting away to a remote place is you usually have to fight traffic to get there. After hours of dodging dangerous drivers, you finally arrive at that quiet mountain retreat, stare at the gentle waters of a pristine lake, and congratulate your tired self on having "turned off your brain."