Levels of a nerve cell signaling molecule called substance P—measured in tear samples—might be a useful marker of diabetes-related nerve damage (neuropathy), suggests a study in the July issue of Optometry and Vision Science, the official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.
Research led by the University of Birmingham has discovered that patients who suffer from both Type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnoea are at greater risk of developing a condition that leads to blindness within an average period of less than four years.
Research funded by the National Eye Institute aims to reverse progression of cataracts—the most common cause of blindness worldwide—or to prevent them from forming altogether.
Researchers have found that genetic variation may increase susceptibility of some astronauts to develop higher-than-normal carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which may contribute to eye abnormalities, including grooved bands on the retina in the eye and swelling of the optic nerve.
Recent strides toward understanding dry eye are leading to better and longer-lasting therapies for the millions of people in the U.S. who are affected by the condition.
New nationwide look by University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center suggests most people with acute conjunctivitis, or pink eye, are getting the wrong treatment. Antibiotics are often helpful for the common eye infection.
Thirty-six percent of Hispanic families in the U.S. with a common form of retinitis pigmentosa got the disease because they carry a mutation of the arrestin-1 gene, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health.
This research found that light makes migraine headaches more painful and induces negative emotions and unpleasant physical sensations. Laboratory studies identify previously unknown connections between nerve cells in the eye and neurons in the brain that regulate physiological, autonomic, endocrine and emotional responses. These findings offer promising path forward for researchers in treatment of migraines.
Things are not always as they appear. New visual perception research at The University of Texas at Austin, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explains the natural limits of what humans can see and how to find what nature hides.
David A. Sullivan, M.S., Ph.D., FARVO, Senior Scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School is the recipient of the 2017 Dr. Donald R. Korb Award for Excellence, the highest honor given by the Contact Lens and Cornea Section of the American Optometric Association (AOA).
Experimenting with mice, neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine report new evidence that the eye's iris in many lower mammals directly senses light and causes the pupil to constrict without involving the brain.
At present, the only FDA approved method of treating glaucoma is to lower eye pressure; this slows the progression of glaucomatous optic nerve damage but does not completely halt it, and certainly does not regenerate damaged nerve tissue.
Wayne State University recently received a five-year, $1.925 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health to test the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) — a newly recognized level of gene expression regulation — in bacterial keratitis – an infection of the cornea caused by bacteria — as well as to identify new therapeutic targets and alternative treatment strategies.
The arrangement of the photoreceptors in our eyes allows us to detect socially significant color variation better than other types of color vision, a team of researchers has found. Specifically, our color vision is superior at spotting “social signaling,” such as blushing or other facial color changes—even when compared to the type of color vision that we design for digital cameras and other photographic devices.
Available evidence suggests that soft contact lenses can be safely prescribed to children and adolescents, with no increase in adverse effects compared to adults, according to a review in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, the official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.
The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) recently announced that Reza Dana, M.D, MPH, M.Sc., Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and a resident of Newton, Mass., will receive the prestigious Friedenwald Award.
This study will explore the role of biomechanical differences in the optic nerve that may explain why individuals of African descent are at greatest risk of developing glaucoma.
Traditional eye drops, while the go-to medication option for glaucoma patients, still have lots of room for improvement. Dosing regimens can be difficult to manage or remember, irritation or redness can occur, and much of the medication gets blinked away before reaching the eye. Because of these challenges, researchers are working to make taking glaucoma medication easier.
The visual cortex, the human brain’s vision-processing centre that was previously thought to mature and stabilize in the first few years of life, actually continues to develop until sometime in the late 30s or early 40s, a McMaster neuroscientist and her colleagues have found.
Brian Samuels, M.D., says there is an increase of eye pressure throughout the morning, and that pressure comes and goes throughout the day. This fluctuation is a known risk factor for the progression of glaucoma.
Whole genome sequencing (WGS), which is the process of determining an organism’s complete DNA sequence, can be used to identify DNA anomalies that cause disease. Identifying disease-causing DNA abnormalities allows clinicians to better predict an effective course of treatment for the patient. Now, in a series of recent studies, scientists at the University of Missouri are using whole genome sequencing through the 99 Lives Cat Genome Sequencing Consortium to identify genetic variants that cause rare diseases, such as progressive retinal atrophy and Niemann-Pick type 1, a fatal disorder in domestic cats. Findings from the study could help feline preservationists implement breeding strategies in captivity for rare and endangered species such as the African black-footed cat.
In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from Magdeburg University (Germany) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong report that for rats and mice, repetitive transorbital alternating current stimulation (rtACS) may help preserve visual neurons from cell death after injury.
In a small and preliminary clinical trial, Johns Hopkins researchers and their collaborators have shown that an experimental gene therapy that uses viruses to introduce a therapeutic gene into the eye is safe and that it may be effective in preserving the vision of people with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Led by researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, a study in mice finds that development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) could be arrested by switching from a high-glycemic to a low-glycemic diet.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a type of eye drop which could potentially revolutionise the treatment of one of the leading causes of blindness in the UK.
The startle response, often recorded as an eye-blink reflex, is a defensive measure believed to reflect emotional processing. Patients with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) show abnormal startle-reflex responses to alcohol-related stimuli. This study examined startle-reflex responses to various visual stimuli among heavy drinkers, and assessed whether certain patterns predict the development of AUDs four years later.
A new, personalized and noninvasive treatment using 3-D printed implants has been developed to help children born with abnormally small or missing eyes (microphthalmia/ anophthalmia, or MICA). The research is being presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Baltimore, Md.
A generic glaucoma drug has been shown to halt the progression of myopia (nearsightedness), potentially offering rapid approval for a new treatment of an incurable condition. The research is being presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Baltimore, Md.
On May 4th, RPB-supported researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published a study identifying a biomarker that could help to predict glaucoma damage before vision loss.
Six biological pigments called rhodopsins play well-established roles in light-sensing in the fruit fly eye. Three of them also have light-independent roles in temperature sensation. New research shows that a seventh rhodopsin, Rh7, is expressed in the brain of fruit flies where it regulates the fly’s day-night activity cycles. The study appears in Nature and was funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers turned to the American Academy of Ophthalmology's eye disease clinical registry, the IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) to discover more information on myopic choroidal neovascularization which affects about 41,000 people in the United States.
Scientists have developed a new method to clear antibiotic resistant bacteria from the surface of the eye – introducing a new strain of bacteria that preys on other microorganisms. The research is being presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Baltimore, Md.
What: The annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
When: May 7-11
Where: Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
(1 W. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21201)
Monthly eye injections of Avastin (bevacizumab) are as effective as the more expensive drug Eylea (aflibercept) for the treatment of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), according to a clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health. After six monthly injections, treatment with either drug improved visual acuity on average from 20/100 to 20/40.
Systemic therapy consisting of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants preserved vision of uveitis patients better – and had fewer adverse outcomes – than a long-lasting corticosteroid intraocular implant, according to a clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI). After seven years, visual acuity on average remained stable among participants on systemic therapy but declined by an average of six letters (about one line on an eye chart) among participants who had the implant. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.
A survey of adult participants seen in an urban eye hospital revealed that one-in-five study participants had clinically significant depressive symptoms. The research is being presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Baltimore, Md.
Scientists have demonstrated the capacity to grow specialized neurons that relay visual data to the brain, creating a source of cells for future treatments of glaucoma and other optic neurodegenerative diseases. The research is being presented during a press conference at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Baltimore, Md., on Monday, May 8 from 9:30 – 10:15am.
Using augmented-reality (AR) display systems, scientists have restored visual function in the amblyopic (lazy) eyes of patients outside of the currently accepted window for treatment. The research is being presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Baltimore, Md.
Surgeons have successfully used a remote controlled robotic system to operate inside the human eye, paving the way for future robotic assistance in clinical treatments that require extreme precision and stability, such as the controlled delivery of gene therapy and stem cells. The research is being presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Baltimore, Md.
Scientists have demonstrated that a machine learning algorithm, using images of patients’ retinas obtained over time, can predict the critical moment when early or intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will progress into severe AMD. The research is being presented during a press conference at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Baltimore, Md, on Monday, May 8 from 9:30 – 10:15 am.
Scientists have shown for the first time that gestational exposure to marijuana smoke in animals affects the development of the eye and these alterations seem to progress with age. The research is being presented during a press conference at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Baltimore, Md., on Monday, May 8 from 9:30 – 10:15am.
Over 11,000 top eye and vision researchers and clinicians from around the world will attend the Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), May 7-11, in Baltimore, Md., to explore cutting-edge findings in basic and clinical science. The theme and focus of this year's agenda is on creating stronger global connections and effective collaborations to accelerate vision research.
For the first time, information about worldwide blindness and vision impairment is being projected onto NASA’s room-sized, global display system during the Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (May 7 – 11 at the Baltimore Convention Center).