Feature Channels: Vision

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Researchers have developed a new method of purifying stem cells that is faster, more efficient and less expensive than current methods for treating diseases of the retina. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo. The new stem cell purification process involves growing stem cells on a special chip containing a computer system. Each stem cell is monitored closely, and the lower quality cells are removed as soon as they are identified.

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With more than 50 papers and posters, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Health System faculty are leading scientific contributors at the 2015 ARVO meeting in Denver, CO.

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ARVO is combining presentations from some of the top researchers in TBI with perspectives from three blinded U.S. military veterans, who will share their stories of vision loss as a result of TBI suffered in combat situations. The vets’ presentation will be followed by a moderated Q&A/ discussion, in which attendees are encouraged to participate. Former NFL running back Terrell Davis will speak about the need for more research to support veterans, athletes and others whose lives have been devastated by TBI.

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Joan Miller, MD, FARVO and Napoleone Ferrara, MD, will present on their pioneering work on the protein VEGF, which ultimately led to treatment for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy at the ARVO 2015 Annual Meeting in Denver. Miller and Ferrara are among seven recipients of the $1.3 million António Champalimaud Vision Award, the world’s highest distinction in ophthalmology and visual science, for their pioneering work to treat AMD and diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in people over age 50.

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Ian Crozier, an infectious disease specialist, signed on with the World Health Organization and arrived in Kenema, Sierra Leone to help in the fight against the Ebola outbreak in August 2014. Within a few weeks, he himself contracted the disease and was evacuated to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in critical condition. Crozier and physicians will share their perspective at ARVO 2015 closing session.

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A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) shows that nerve cells and blood vessels in the eye constantly “talk” to each other to maintain healthy blood flow and prevent disease.

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A simple method of testing "twilight vision" gives reliable results in identifying people who have decreased visual acuity under low light conditions, according to 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.

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New ophthalmology research from the University of Miami shows that dry eye – the little understood culprit behind red, watery, gritty feeling eyes – strikes most often in spring, just as airborne allergens are surging. The study marks the first time that researchers have discovered a direct correlation between seasonal allergens and dry eye, with both pollen and dry eye cases reaching a yearly peak in the month of April.

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Researchers at the University of Michigan and UC Davis have solved a genetic mystery that has afflicted three unrelated families plagued by congenital eye malformations.

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Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death and morbidity in older adults, especially those with a chronic eye disease such as glaucoma. To investigate this problem, a multidisciplinary group of researchers has become the first to use virtual reality technology to develop a new method for measuring balance control in those with glaucoma.

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More than half of all Medicare patients who have cataract surgery undergo unnecessary routine preoperative testing, despite strong evidence that these tests are usually not beneficial and increase national health care costs, reports a study published on April 16 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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Fifteen years after California entrepreneur and downhill ski champion Mike May underwent a pioneering stem cell procedure, researchers investigate how functional his vision is.

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Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: robotics, nicotine and alcohol, stem cells, vision, cancer, pregnancy, racial disparities in smoking risk, and herbal therapy for cardiac hypertrophy

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Age, disease and even playing certain sports like basketball can increase a person’s risk of developing a detached retina. While surgery is typically used to treat the condition, subsequent scarring and damage to the retina can cause permanent vision problems or even blindness. New research is exploring the biochemical processes that lead to retinal scarring in the hopes of developing the first ever drug intervention to help improve the way retinas heal.

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An injection of stem cells into the eye may soon slow or reverse the effects of early-stage age-related macular degeneration, according to new research from scientists at Cedars-Sinai. Currently, there is no treatment that slows the progression of the disease, which is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 65.

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New research from The University of Manchester published in the Journal of Community Genetics reveals a stark variation in genetic testing services for inherited eye disease in England.

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For people with low vision who need bioptic telescopic glasses to drive, previous driving experience and the need for more training hours are the main factors affecting performance on driver's license road tests, according to a study in the April issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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The motion of coins in a “Penny Pusher” carnival game is similar to the movement of cells in the eye’s lens, as described in a new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS). This new insight may help scientists understand how the eye maintains its precise shape — critical for clear vision — and how cataracts develop.

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A list of foods and supplements recommended by James McDonnell, MD, ophthalmologist at Loyola University Health System.

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Our eyes are drawn to several dimensions of an object—such as color, texture, and luminance—even when we need to focus on only one of them, researchers at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania have found.

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Charles Bouchard, MD, MA, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, says “Loyola is a level 1 trauma center which means our patients have access 24/7 to medical specialists to care for the most severe and complex cases.” He adds, “Sophia’s cut was very deep and it was possible that she would lose her eye. After counseling the parents as to the severity, I took her to the operating room, scrubbed in and set about to save as much of her eye as possible.” Dr. Bouchard stopped the bleeding and repaired the corneal laceration.

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Light can be used to activate normal, non-genetically modified neurons through the use of targeted gold nanoparticles. The new method represents a significant technological advance with potential advantages over current optogenetic methods, including possible use in the development of therapeutics.

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Mrs. Diou says she couldn’t have oversaw fun summertime events without the two donated corneas that allowed her physicians at UT Southwestern Medical Center to maintain her sight.

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There are about 48,000 corneal transplants done each year in the U.S., compared to approximately 16,000 kidney transplants and 2,100 heart transplants. Out of the 48,000 corneal transplants done, 10 percent of them end up in rejection, largely due to poor medication compliance. This costs the health care system and puts undue strain on clinicians, patients and their families.

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Older adults whose vision is affected by declining contrast sensitivity – which is a factor in the ability to detect and resolve details in low light – can improve their ability to see with perceptual learning training, according to researchers at UC Riverside and Brown University.

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Results of a brain mapping study challenge conventional wisdom that the "magic" which transforms visual information into the three-dimensional world that we perceive all occurs in the visual cortex.

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Using a portable, non-invasive imaging device, a team of Duke Medicine doctors have identified swelling in the back of the eyes of premature infants that correlates with poorer neurodevelopment as the babies grow.

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A technique called orthokeratology ("Ortho-K")—using custom-made contact lenses to shape the growing eye—has a significant effect in slowing the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) in children, according to a research review 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.

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In the first clinical trial directly comparing three drugs most commonly used to treat diabetic macular edema, researchers found all were effective in improving vision and preventing vision loss. However, one drug, aflibercept, provided greater improvement for people with more severe vision loss when treatment was initiated.

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When patients with glaucoma switched from a brand name drug to its generic counterpart, they were more likely to take their medication as directed compared to those who remained on the brand name drug, according to a new study.

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To better understand these cellular changes and how they influence the progression and severity of glaucoma, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute turned to a mouse model of the disease. Their study, published Feb. 10 in The Journal of Neuroscience, reveals how some types of retinal ganglion cells alter their structures within seven days of elevated eye pressure, while others do not.

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A new study from China shows that nearsightedness, also called myopia, is twice as prevalent in middle-class students than poor students. This is the latest news on myopia, which has become an urgent research topic as rates of nearsightedness have increased so dramatically in the last few decades. Myopia afflicts a reported 80 to 90 percent of people in Asia and 40 percent in the U.S.

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To observe Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Month, experts at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) and the Mount Sinai Health System are offering prevention tips and raising awareness of options for early detection and effective treatment.

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Contact lens wearers who don't follow certain hygiene habits have increased bacterial contamination of their contact lens cases, reports a study in the February 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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Researchers in the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute have devised a novel way to generate transplantable corneal stem cells that may eventually benefit patients suffering from life-altering forms of blindness.

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It’s very difficult to understand the retinal structure of children because they are known to be uncooperative during eye examinations designed for adults. Baylor research, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, explores a new non-invasive technology that’s kind of like a handheld CT scanner for the eye.

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New research from scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) has found that tiny lumps of calcium phosphate may be an important triggering factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative eye disease that can cause severe vision loss and blindness. This is the first time these mineral deposits have been implicated in the disease, which affects more than 10 million Americans. The article appeared in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Recent scientific advances have meant that eyesight can be partially restored to those who previously would have been blind for life. However, scientists at the University of Montreal and the University of Trento have discovered that the rewiring of the senses that occurs in the brains of the long-term blind means that visual restoration may never be complete.

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An exhaustive hereditary analysis of a large Louisiana family with vision issues has uncovered a new gene tied to an incurable eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa, according to an examination led by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). It is a family of eye diseases that affects more than 200,000 in the United States and millions worldwide

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Picking a needle out of a haystack might seem like the stuff of fairytales, but our brains can be electrically “tuned” to enable us to do a much better job of finding what we’re looking for, even in a crowded and distracting scene, new research indicates.

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January is National Glaucoma Month. Are you aware of pediatric glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease that can strike newborns? Meet a little boy who vision was saved by early diagnosis and appropriate treatment at UAB.

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A team led by Tufts University researchers discovered that a communications breakdown between two biochemical pathways is involved in causing cataracts in mice. The newfound relationship between the ubiquitin and calpain pathways may lead to pharmaceuticals and dietary approaches that can prolong the function of the relevant pathways and delay the onset of cataracts in people.

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Scientists have long known that species such as amphibians and fish can regenerate retinal cells — so why can’t mammals? This and related questions are the premise for the third report from the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation and the International Retinal Research Foundation’s 10-year collaboration, recently published in the ARVO journal Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST).

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The incidence rate of diagnoses of glaucoma among service members younger than 30 years of age increased slightly during a 15-year surveillance period, most likely reflecting improved screening for the disease within the U.S. Armed Forces, according to a newly released health surveillance report.

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DMEK eye surgery provides near normal vision for a patient suffering from Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy.

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Hands-on, innovative educational material is being developed to help blind students learn about evolution. The development of toolboxes for the blind will be presented at the annual conference of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 6, 2015.

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A new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS) has found that chronic (long term) hypertension increases a person’s susceptibility to glaucoma. These results suggest that doctors should consider a patient’s blood pressure levels in managing the potentially blinding eye disorder.

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All children should undergo vision health screening between age 36 and 72 months—preferably every year—using evidence-based test methods and with effective referral and follow-up, according to recommendations published in the January 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.