Feature Channels: Vision

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A landmark study published today in the journal Science by an international group of scientists, led by the laboratory of Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, professor and vice chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Kentucky, reports that HIV/AIDS drugs that have been used for the last 30 years could be repurposed to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as other inflammatory disorders, because of a previously undiscovered intrinsic and inflammatory activity those drugs possess.

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Investigators at Massachusetts Eye and Ear reported the development and characterization of a comprehensive genetic test for inherited eye disorders in the online version of the Nature journal Genetics In Medicine today.

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Inspired perhaps by Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, scientists have recently developed several ways--some simple and some involving new technologies--to hide objects from view. The latest effort, developed at the University of Rochester, not only overcomes some of the limitations of previous devices, but it uses inexpensive, readily available materials in a novel configuration.

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Changes in the lipid layer of the eyes' natural tear film may contribute to the common problem of contact lens discomfort, reports a study in the December 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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Scientists have created video games that add an important element of fun to the repetitive training needed to improve vision in people – including adults – with a lazy eye and poor depth perception.

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In partnership with Touch Graphics Inc., developers at the University at Buffalo’s Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA Center) have built and tested a new kind of interactive wayfinder: 3-D maps that vocalize building information and directions when touched.

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Eye screenings via medicine of people with diabetes in underserved communities revealed that one in five had early stage diabetic retinopathy, according to a new study by a research consortium including investigators at UAB.

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Needles almost too small to be seen with the unaided eye could be the basis for new treatment options for two of the world’s leading eye diseases: glaucoma and corneal neovascularization.

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It’s well known that battlefield explosions can cause hearing loss, but veterans may be surprised to learn that vision can also suffer — sometimes long after combat exposure. A new research study investigates why this happens, and how it can be prevented.

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In preschool-aged children, a simple test performed in the ophthalmologist's or optometrist's office greatly overestimates the eye's ability to "flex and focus" in order to see small objects clearly, reports a study 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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The loss of eyesight, often caused by retinal degeneration, is a life-altering health issue for many people, especially as they age. But a new development toward a prosthetic retina could help counter conditions that result from problems with this crucial part of the eye.

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Scientists at Florida Atlantic University have found that sulindac, a known anti-inflammatory drug, can protect against oxidative damage due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Their studies suggest that sulindac could be an inexpensive and relatively non-toxic therapeutic approach for treating AMD, one of the primary causes of vision loss in the elderly. AMD gradually destroys sharp, central vision, which is needed for seeing objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as reading and driving. Currently, no cures exist for the majority of AMD cases.

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UAB vision care professionals use complex contact lenses, a combination of soft and hard lenses, to help a veteran regain sight

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Wake Forest University faculty finds technology to help blind student see math clearly and pursue degree.

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Using a tablet screening app could prove to be an effective method to aid in the effort to reduce the incidence of avoidable blindness in populations at high-risk for glaucoma with limited access to health care, according to a study released today at AAO 2014, the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In this study, researchers from the University of Iowa, the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan and the Tilganga Eye Institute in Nepal used a free peripheral vision assessment app to screen approximately 200 patients in Nepal for glaucoma using an iPad®. The results show promise for screening populations that have limited or no access to traditional eye care and certain ethnic groups that have a high risk of developing the disease.

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Researchers have developed a fast and inexpensive way to make facial prostheses for eye cancer patients using facial scanning software and 3-D printing, according to findings released today at AAO 2014, the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Their novel process can create more affordable prosthetics for any patients who have hollow sockets resulting from eye surgery following cancer or congenital deformities.

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The results of the largest retrospective study of multiple sclerosis (MS) in uveitis patients has revealed that nearly 60 percent of patients with both diseases were diagnosed with each within a five-year span. The study is being presented today at AAO 2014, the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. While it has long been known that there is an association between the eye condition and MS, this is the first study to provide a detailed description of the relative onset of uveitis and MS and to calculate the likelihood of an MS diagnosis among uveitis patients.

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The first tear duct implant developed to treat inflammation and pain following cataract surgery has been shown to be a reliable alternative to medicated eye drops, which are the current standard of care, according to a study presented today at AAO 2014, the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The device, known as a punctum plug, automatically delivers the correct amount of postoperative medication in patients, potentially solving the issue of poor compliance with self-administering eye drops.

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A thin ring inserted into the eye could soon offer a reading glasses-free remedy for presbyopia, the blurriness in near vision experienced by many people over the age of 40, according to a study released today at AAO 2014, the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. A corneal inlay device currently undergoing clinical review in the United States improved near vision well enough for 80 percent of the participating patients to read a newspaper without disturbing far distance vision needed for daily activities like driving.

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Smartphone technology is a widely available resource which may also be a portable and effective tool for imaging the inside of the eye, according to results of a study released today at AAO 2014, the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Researchers from the Ross Eye Institute at the University at Buffalo-SUNY are successfully using an iPhone® application as an inexpensive, portable and effective tool for imaging the inside of the eye, including in patients who are challenging to photograph by traditional methods.

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A smartphone-based tool may be an effective alternative to traditional ophthalmic imaging equipment in evaluating and grading severity of a diabetic eye disease, according to a study released today at AAO 2014, the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 118th annual meeting. The results of the research indicate the lower-cost method could be useful for bringing the service to patients in isolated or underserved communities.

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Dr. Robert Devenyi and Dr. Samuel Markowitz will give a presentation followed by a Q and A session on the successful implantation of Canada’s first eye prosthesis system, a device that restores functional vision in patients with forms of advanced retinitis pigmentosa.

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Dr. Robert Devenyi and Dr. Samuel Markowitz will give a presentation followed by a Q and A session on the successful implantation of Canada’s first eye prosthesis system, a device that restores functional vision in patients with forms of advanced retinitis pigmentosa, on Tuesday, October 14 at 11 a.m. (ET).

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Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, internationally renowned ophthalmology researcher and professor and vice chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Kentucky, will discuss and answer questions online regarding his laboratory’s discovery and study of a previously unknown form of DNA that is outside the human genome and that could have a profound impact on biology and medicine and in study of macular degeneration.

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National Eye Institute funded researchers launch an FDA-approved Phase I clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a novel drug called P-321 Ophthalmic Solution. The drug is applied as an eye drop and targets a unique mechanism involved in maintaining moisture in the eye.

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Retinoblastoma cell of origin identified in research at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

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A technique developed by astronomers seeking a clear view of distant objects in space is being intensively studied as a new approach to measuring and correcting visual abnormalities. The October issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry, is a theme issue devoted to research on wavefront refraction and correction. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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While previous studies of the brain suggest that processing of objects and places occurs in very different locations, a research team has now found that they are closely related.

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According to a new poll, Americans across racial and ethnic groups describe losing eyesight as potentially having the greatest impact on their day-to-day life — more so than other conditions, including loss of memory, hearing and speech. A higher percentage of African-Americans (57%) cite this concern compared to non-Hispanic whites (49%), Asians (43%) and Hispanics (38%).

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Finding opens the possibility of developing new, more selective drugs to control the abnormal growth of blood vessels and prevent blindness including retinopathy of prematurity, a disorder that may result in retinal detachment due to abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina of the eye.

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1) Precision projectile tracker. 2) Microscopic needles to imprint the patient’s corneal tissue. 3) Connecting vehicles could save nearly 3 billion gallons of fuel. 4) Tiny Titan can help middle and high school students explore the fundamental concepts of parallel computing.

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Working with mice, a multicenter team of researchers has found a new way to reduce the abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage in the eye that accompany some eye diseases. The finding could lead to the development of new drugs for wet macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.

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Individuals with greater amounts of yellow pigment in the eye may be better able to see distant objects in hazy conditions, suggests a study 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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Researchers in the United Kingdom have demonstrated that advanced DNA testing for congenital cataracts can quickly and accurately diagnose a number of rare diseases marked by childhood blindness, according to a study published online today in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Using a single test, doctors were able to tailor care specifically to a child’s condition based on their mutations reducing the time and money spent on diagnosis and enabling earlier treatment and genetic counseling.

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Vision specialists at the University of Iowa have created the most detailed molecular map of a region of the human eye associated with disease, including age-related macular degeneration. The map catalogs more than 4,000 proteins in each of three areas of the choroid. Results appear in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

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Kansas State University psychology professors receive recognition for research on scene gist and how human perception compares to that of pigeons.

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Recent years have seen major strides in basic science and clinical research on age-related macular degeneration (AMD)—the leading cause of vision loss in older adults. The August issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry, is a theme issue devoted to advances and challenges in AMD research. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Sunscreen and sunglasses top the list of summertime must-haves for most people. But just as skin can burn on an overcast or chilly day, eyes can sustain damage anytime you’re outdoors without sunglasses.

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Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have developed a technique that will speed up the production of stem-cell derived tissues. The technique will help the researchers in their efforts to use patients’ skin cells to regenerate retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)—a tissue in the back of the eye that is affected in several blinding eye diseases. It will also help the scientists search for drugs for personalized treatments.

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Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Sun Yat-sen University in China have shown that acute glaucoma in mice is largely an inflammatory disease and that high pressure in the eye causes vision loss by setting in motion an inflammatory response similar to that evoked by bacterial infections.

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In a new study led by UC San Francisco (UCSF) scientists, a chemical compound designed to precisely target part of a crucial cellular quality-control network provided significant protection, in rats and mice, against degenerative forms of blindness and diabetes.

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A low-carb, gluten-free diet with plenty of vegetables is helping a patient with Graves' eye disease to see normally again.

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Depression is a common risk for people who have lost their vision from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but a new study shows that a type of rehabilitation therapy can cut this risk in half.

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The first clinical trial to examine integrated low vision and mental health treatment has shown that the approach can reduce the incidence of depression by half among people with low vision due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The results of the study were published online today in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

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Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have described the functions of a gene responsible for anchoring cilia – sensory hair-like extensions present on almost every cell of the body. They show in a mouse model that without the gene Cc2d2a, cilia throughout the body failed to grow, and the mice died during the embryonic stage. The finding adds to an expanding body of knowledge about ciliopathies, a class of genetic disorders that result from defects in the structure or function of cilia.

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Uveitis occurs when immune cells invade the eye, causing inflammation, swelling and vision loss. Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have found a unique type of immune cell and a secreted protein that, in tests on mice, can protect against the disease.

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The American Academy of Ophthalmology – the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons – is reminding the public that it does not recommend marijuana or other cannabis products for the treatment of glaucoma.

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Trained non-physician evaluators who studied retinal images transmitted to a remote central reading center successfully identified newborn babies likely to require a specialized medical evaluation for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

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Telemedicine is an effective strategy to screen for the potentially blinding disease known as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), according to a study funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI). The investigators say that the approach, if adopted broadly, could help ease the strain on hospitals with limited access to ophthalmologists and lead to better care for infants in underserved areas of the country. NEI is a part of the National Institutes of Health.

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A multi-center study has found that telemedicine is effective in screening for the potentially blinding disease retinopathy of prematurity in newborns.