Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor for a wide-range of diseases. Now, scientists have evidence that smoking may also increase the risk of age-related cataract, the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in the world.
Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology are working with an antioxidant that could prevent or cure cataracts, macular degeneration and other degenerative eye disorders.
Perelman School of Medicine researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have created a map of vision in the brain based upon an individual's brain structure, even for people who cannot see. Their result can, among other things, guide efforts to restore vision using a neural prosthesis that stimulates the surface of the brain.
A new study suggests caffeinated coffee drinkers should limit their intake to reduce their chances of developing vision loss or blindness. According to a scientific paper in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, heavy caffeinated coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of developing exfoliation glaucoma, the leading cause of secondary glaucoma worldwide
A simple test of eyelid sensitivity may help vision professionals in evaluating one of the most common eye-related symptoms: dry eyes. A new study linking increased eyelid sensitivity to decreased function of the eyelid margins is presented in the article – “Lid Margins: Sensitivity, Staining, Meibomian
Gland Dysfunction, and Symptoms”, appearing 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.
An experimental treatment for blindness, developed from a patient’s skin cells, improved the vision of blind mice in a study conducted by Columbia ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers.
A small subset of patients account for a large proportion of all glaucoma-related charges in the U.S., according to new data. These findings have importance for future evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of screening and treatment for glaucoma.
Millions of Americans have poor vision that can't be corrected by conventional glasses or contact lenses. But many of them can benefit from new techniques to maximize their residual vision and thus enhance their daily living and mobility, according to a study – “The Berkeley Rudimentary Vision Test (BRVT)”, in the special 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.
Clinical trials can be time-consuming, expensive and intrusive, but they are also necessary. Researchers at the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma have developed an invention that makes clinical trials more efficient by moving them into the virtual world.
Eighty-five percent of children's learning is related to vision. Yet in the U.S., 80 percent of children have never had an eye exam or any vision screening before kindergarten, statistics say. When they do, the vision screenings they typically receive can detect only one or two conditions.
A new treatment available at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center provides relief to patients who suffer from severe dry eye, often the result of cancer or complex corneal disease.
Arizona State University kicks off a pilot program called 3D-IMAGINE (Image Arrays to Graphically Implement New Education), using three-dimensional materials to enhance independent learning by blind or visually-impaired students.
Shree Kurup, M.D., director of research in the ophthalmology department at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, will present the preliminary findings of a Phase 3 clinical trial on a new drug for the treatment of uveitis, a serious inflammatory condition of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye that provides most of the blood supply to the retina. The findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Retinal Specialists in Las Vegas from Aug. 25 to 29.
For the first time, researchers decipher the retina’s neural code for brain communication to create novel, more effective prosthetic retinal device for blindness.
Patients using cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be at increased risk of developing age-related cataracts, according to a study - “Age-related Cataract Is Associated with Type 2 Diabetes and Statin Use”, 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.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division and their collaborators have isolated an elusive human gene that causes a common form of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a relatively rare but devastating form of early-onset blindness. The new LCA gene is called NMNAT1. Finding the specific gene mutated in patients with LCA is the first step towards developing sight-saving gene therapy.
Watching 3D movies can "immerse" you in the experience—but can also lead to visual symptoms and even motion sickness, reports a study – “Stereoscopic Viewing and Reported Perceived Immersion and Symptoms”, 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.
Studies have consistently reported that women require reading glasses or bifocal lenses earlier than men. According to a recent Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science paper, the gender difference is caused by factors other than focusing ability, such as arm length or preferred reading distance, which should be considered when prescribing readers or bifocals.
A group of computer science students at Drexel University worked with students from the Overbrook School for the Blind to develop a set of smartphone apps. The team integrated current visual-assistive technology and also customized social media app interfaces for visually impaired users.
Scientists have found new evidence that people spot a face in the crowd more quickly when teeth are visible — whether smiling or grimacing — than a face with a particular facial expression. The new findings, published in the Journal of Vision, counters the long held “face-in -the-crowd” effect that suggests only angry looking faces are detected more readily in a crowd.
Viewing Facebook and Flickr photos on a smart phone are becoming common practice. But according to a recently published Journal of Vision study, pictures on the small screen often appear distorted. Vision scientists found that perceptual distortions occur because picture takers do not take their viewing distance into account.
A telephone intervention trial was associated with improvement in glaucoma medication adherence in both the treatment group and the control group but, when the two groups were compared, interactive telephone calls and tailored print materials did not significantly improve adherence, according to a report of a randomized controlled clinical trial published Online First by Archives of Ophthalmology, a JAMA Network publication.
Cerebral damage and retinopathy of prematurity appear to be independently associated with visual impairment among preschool children who were born extremely premature, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Ophthalmology, a JAMA Network publication.
Suppose someone told you that researchers had discovered that a major cause of vision loss is treatable, and that the most promising new treatment is—playing video games? It may sound far-fetched, but those are the conclusions of a special article, “Removing the Brakes on Plasticity in the Amblyopic Brain,” 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.
When people close their eyes, they can form mental images of things that exist only in their minds. Neuroscientists studying this phenomenon at medical schools in the Texas Medical Center believe that there may be a way to use these mental images to help some of the estimated 39 million people worldwide who are blind.
iPhones and other smartphones can be a huge help to the visually impaired, but only 15 percent of vision doctors are recommending them to patients, according to a study presented at the 2012 ARVO Annual Meeting.
New findings from a Canadian research team suggest that not only is there a real connection between vision and other senses, but that connection is important to better understand the underlying mechanisms that can quickly trigger sensory changes.
The same technology used by astronomers to obtain clear views of distant stars is now being used by optometrists to perform incredibly detailed examinations of the living eye. An update on new developments in ocular imaging techniques—and how they may affect clinical vision care in the not-too-distant future—is presented in an article titled “Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope-based Microperimetry” published in a special 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.
Sloppy shipping of a donated human retina to an Indiana University researcher studying a leading cause of vision loss has inadvertently helped uncover a previously undetected mechanism causing the disease. The discovery has led researchers to urge review of how millions of dollars are spent investigating the cause of a type of age-related macular degeneration called choroidal neovascularization.
Two drugs commonly used to treat AMD yield similar improvements in vision for patients receiving treatments on a monthly or as-needed basis, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Results from the largest genetic study of glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness and vision loss worldwide, showed that two genetic variations are associated with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a common form of the disease.
ARVO is pleased to host a presentation of the one-year results from the U.K.’s Inhibition of VEGF in Age-related Choroidal Neovascularisation (IVAN) study and the two-year results of the Comparison of Age-related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT) trial.
Just because a driver has passed the motor vehicle administration’s vision test may not mean he or she is safe to drive. A recent study found that the frequency and distance at which drivers with moderate levels of blurred vision and cataracts recognize pedestrians at night was severely reduced, even when the drivers have passed the required vision test.
A national consortium of researchers has published new findings that could change the standard of practice for those treating Fuchs’ Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD), a disease characterized by cornea swelling that can eventually lead to the need for corneal transplantation.
Working in mice, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have devised a treatment that prevents the optic nerve injury that occurs in glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease that is a leading cause of blindness.
Older drivers rated at high crash risk on a computerized vision test are more likely to have driving problems related to distractions in the car, reports a study in the April 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.
Wide-diameter contact lenses are offering instant relief to people who suffer chronic dry eyes. The lens rests on the sclera, the white part of the eye. Major improvements in materials and design have sparked a resurgence in the use of scleral contact lenses.
Rakesh Babu, an assistant professor of information studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is exploring ways to make the Internet and computers more accessible for the blind and visually impaired. Babu, who is blind himself, says his research on usability can also provide benefits to computer users with sight.
Wii remotes are not all about fun and games. Scientists can use them to assess and diagnose children with an abnormal head position caused by eye diseases. As described in a recent Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science article, researchers developed a low-cost digital head posture measuring device with Nintendo Wiimotes to help diagnose this condition, medically called ocular torticollis.
Myopia (nearsightedness) develops in children when the lens stops compensating for continued growth of the eye, according to a study in the March 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.
Wolters Kluwer Health and the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) are pleased to announce the launch of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology (APJO). The new online journal is dedicated to facilitating exchange of expertise among ophthalmologists and visual scientists in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, is the publisher of record for the journal.