Author: Medgadged

Smartphone App Identifies Eye Conditions, Directs Patients to Specialists

by Medgadged • 2015/07/07 • 0 Comments

A team at Mexico’s Medical and Surgical Center for Retina, a small firm of about a dozen people, has created a smartphone software that can help general medical practitioners spot eye conditions that currently require a specialist to diagnose. The app is not intended to replace ophthalmologists, but was designed instead to help direct patients to receive a professional screening.

The software was created in collaboration with the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and is able to detect diabetic macular edema and a few other conditions. The researchers hope that besides assisting in-clinic physicians with diagnoses and referrals, the app can also serve people living in remote areas that normally don’t have easy access to ophthalmologists.

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Tiny Eye Implant Automatically Regulates Intraocular Pressure

by Medgadged • 2015/07/02 • 0 Comments

While measuring the intraocular pressure can help diagnose and track a number of health conditions (especially, glaucoma), there’s currently no existing method that can regulate the pressure within the eye. So while there are ways to delay the onset of serious symptoms, patients with certain eye conditions eventually suffer from an either too high or too low pressure within the eye. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Microsysems and Modular Solid State Technologies in Germany are now working on an implant that may be able to maintain the intraocular pressure within predefined limits, helping patients to continue seeing well for years longer.

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Driving Simulator to be Used to Assess Lenses for Cataract Surgery

by Medgadged • 2015/06/15 • 0 Comments

The University of Iowa is reporting that a new eye lens developed to replace native ones in cataract patients is to be trialed for its novel ability of reducing the halo effect common in current implantable lenses. We’ve written about similar technology, but can’t confirm the same team is behind it. Though the lenses are interesting in themselves, what is unusual is that they will be undergoing a clinical trial whereby patients following surgery will be using a driving simulator that mimics the glare produced by the headlights of passing cars at dusk and night.

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NovaBay’s intelli-Case Makes Cleaning Contact Lenses with Hydrogen Peroxide a Cinch (VIDEO)

by Medgadged • 2015/06/08 • 0 Comments

Contact lens wearers have the option of disinfecting contacts using hydrogen peroxide solutions. Though it may be the optimal way of ensuring clean lenses, many people use other solutions that come with less risk and more convenience. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, a company out of Emeryville, CA, won FDA clearance for a small device that makes using hydrogen peroxide contact cleaning solutions safe and convenient.

The intelli-Case is an electronic device that monitors the neutralization of hydrogen peroxide as it cleans the contact lenses. Using the lenses before the process is complete can cause discomfort and even damage to the cornea. On the other hand, if the neutralization rate is too slow, the device will let you know the lenses are not safe to use and you’ll have to get a fresh solution. If you make the mistake of using standard hydrogen peroxide as sold at the pharmacy instead of the properly formulated stuff used for contact lenses, it will also blink the ‘unsafe’ light.

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A Low-Cost Digital Ophthalmoscope for Your Smartphone [Interview]

by Medgadged • 2015/05/29 • 0 Comments

Ophthalmoscopes aren’t the easiest things to use. Practicing for clinical exams, groups of medical students get together and when one exclaims “I SEE IT I SEE IT!”, nobody else seems to be able to verify the findings. I’m a second year medical student myself, and I think I’ve found one optic disc in an undilated pupil in all of my countless attempts. (Maybe.) Wouldn’t it be nice if we could have an easy-to-use solution that also records the image? When I heard about D-EYE, a smartphone lens attachment that turns a variety of smartphones into digital ophthalmoscopes, I was curious to find out what made it a good alternative.

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Pixium Vision Implants Restore Sight in Rats with Retinal Degeneration, Humans Next (VIDEO)

by Medgadged • 2015/04/29 • 0 Comments

Prima Vision, a company based in Paris, France, is reporting that its PRIMA wireless subretinal implants for people who lost their vision has show a great deal of promise in a pre-clinical trial. The technology is designed specifically for those whose natural photoreceptors no longer function, yet who retain retinal neurons that can be electrically activated. A bunch of the implants are injected into the back of the eye, each around 70-μm in width that represents a single pixel. The implants are basically tiny photovoltaic solar panels that emit electricity in response to light hitting their surface.

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Eyenuk EyeArt Software Automatically Screens Fundus Images for Signs of Diabetic Retinopathy

by Medgadged • 2015/04/23 • 0 Comments

Eyenuk, a Woodland Hills, California company, won the European CE mark for its EyeArt software that analyzes images of the retina taken using fundus cameras to help detect diabetic retinopathy (DR). The software requires nothing more than a well produced color retinal image and has shown a sensitivity of detecting DR often better than human professionals.

EyeArt is able to process entire batches of images, going through thousands in a matter of hours. This may allow entire populations to be screened for DR, hopefully saving many eyes and improving lives.

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KAMRA Inlay Corneal Implant to Replace Reading Glasses FDA Approved

by Medgadged • 2015/04/22 • 0 Comments

Owning reading glasses is a part of growing up, but for many people that start wearing them in their later years it can be downright awkward and uncomfortable. Now a new device, just approved by the FDA, may offer certain folks with presbyopia a new way of addressing the condition.

The KAMRA inlay from Acufocus (Irvine, CA) is implanted into the cornea of one of the eyes of the patient, leaving the second one untouched. The device is essentially a 3.8 mm ring with a 1.6 mm aperture in the center. Just like a diaphragm in a camera, having a narrow opening for light to pass through increases image focus. Of course a lot of the peripheral unfocused light is blocked by the implant, but because only one of the eyes gets it, patients will maintain distance vision without losing depth perception.

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Eye Lenses Designed With Significantly Reduced Halo Effect

by Medgadged • 2015/04/21 • 0 Comments

Extended depth of focus and multifocal lenses, including contact and intraocular ones, tend to create a halo effect in certain light conditions. It can be distracting and even dangerous, particularly at dusk and night when looking at bright point sources such as traffic lights. Researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel have come upon a way of substantially reducing this halo effect without making the manufacturing of the lenses any more difficult.

The technique requires a precise smoothing of the structures on the surface of the lenses. This was achieved by initially building a mathematical model of how light has to pass through the lens, followed by numerical simulations, and then actually creating the lenses. These were then implanted in 16 volunteers who rated the halos they saw. Impressively, the results demonstrated a substantial reduction in the size of the halos compared to commercially available lenses.

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IRIS Fundus Camera Automatically Spots Eye Conditions (VIDEO)

by Medgadged • 2015/04/13 • 0 Comments

Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems, a company out of Pensacola, Florida, received FDA clearance for its IRIS automated fundus camera for screening patients for diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, glaucoma, and other eye related conditions. The device, the first of its kind, doesn’t require professional ophthalmologists to operate it, but does capture imagery of the back of the eye that is then processed to detect suspected conditions. The process takes about 15 minutes per patient. The retinal images of patients with potential abnormalities are then forwarded to professionals who can make diagnoses or recommend further screenings.

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Rice mobileVision Device Lets Patients Image Their Own Retinas (VIDEO)

by Medgadged • 2015/03/24 • 0 Comments

Engineers at Rice University have developed a prototype device that may one day allow patients to screen their eyes for signs of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Modern ophthalmoscopes can already be connected to smartphones for easy image sharing, allowing remote ophthalmologists to help with diagnosis. Yet, properly aligning the instrument with the eye is still a matter of skill, so the Rice team have been working to help automate this process so that just about anyone can exmine the retina.

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New Medical Device to Bring Tears to Your Dry Eyes

by Medgadged • 2015/01/26 • 0 Comments

Serious dry eye can be quite debilitating and current therapies like eye drops and cyclosporine are either difficult to manage or don’t really fix the problem. Eye drops require refrigeration, so keeping them cold and handy is a challenge. Cyclosporine, on the other hand, only treats the inflammation and has a low rate of patient compliance. A company called Oculeve, which came out of the Stanford Biodesign program, has developed a tiny implant that may help a lot of people suffering from dry eye caused by a variety of underlying conditions.

The device electrically stimulates the lacrimal gland, the organ responsible for tear production. There’s two versions of the device, one that is placed within the nasal cavity and the other is implanted under the skin above the eyelids. The device, which can be controlled using a wireless interface, has already been in clinical trials in Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico toward getting European and Canadian approvals, and trials aimed at the FDA are already being planned.

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JINS MEME Smart Eyewear Monitor Eye Movement, Blinking, Body Motion

by Medgadged • 2015/01/26 • 0 Comments

We previously mentioned that wearables were huge at the 2015 International CES a couple weeks ago, but with so many companies coming out with their own versions of fitness bands, we got excited when we would come across a wearable that was located on the body someplace other than your wrist.

JINS, a popular Japanese eyewear designer, has developed a smart pair of spectacles called the JINS MEME, that unlike Google’s attempt at intelligent eyewear, is something we wouldn’t feel ashamed to wear on a date.

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BBS Revolution Automatic Bladder Volume Measurement Device FDA Cleared

by Medgadged • 2015/01/08 • 0 Comments

dBMEDx, a company with offices in Denver, Colorado and Bellevue, Washington, won FDA clearance to introduce its BBS Revolution automated bladder volume measurement device. It’s intended to help clinicians assess whether a patient really needs that catheter that is so often the source of urinary tract infections.

The ultrasound device requires only a squeeze of gel and a short sweep across the abdomen while pressing down the trigger on the handle. The system automatically calculates bladder volume and displays the reading on the screen. The whole process takes minutes to complete, doesn’t require much training, and can be done by staff not trained in using ultrasound equipment. While the system is easy to use, the underlying technology is fairly complicated, producing a true 3D volume dataset using multiple b-mode slices that allows the measurement of the bladder.

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Veta Smart EpiPen Case Helps Keep Patients Safe from Anaphylaxis (VIDEO)

by Medgadged • 2015/01/07 • 0 Comments

Forgetting your wallet or purse at home is one thing, but if you’re severely allergic to a food, forgetting your EpiPen (epinephrine injection) can be life threatening. A new device will soon be available to help keep the EpiPen near and to automatically notify loved ones whenever it’s used.

The Veta smart case has sensors built-in and communicates to a paired smartphone (iOS and Android) to make sure it’s not left behind. Whenever the phone stops receiving a proximity signal, it sounds an alarm and lets you know the GPS location of the spot where it was last heard from. If a child is using it, it can also be made to let parents know that Tommy forgot to bring the EpiPen. To help find the exact spot of the Veta, you can activate its find-me feature whereby it will flash and sound a ringer. There’s a temperature sensor built-in to make sure the epinephrine stays fresh. If you do end up using the EpiPen, the Veta case recognizes that it’s been opened and immediately sends alerts, which include the GPS location of the user, to pre-selected people, like parents and school nurses. The device also goes through a safety confirmation routine, starting a countdown after the pen is activated. If the user doesn’t respond to prompts from the app, it will eventually issue a loud notice to anyone around explaining the situation and calling for help. Interestingly, if you plan to be traveling aboard, the app can be setup to issue the warning in other languages.

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Noninvasive Neural Stimulation Projects at Stanford

by Medgadged • 2015/01/06 • 0 Comments

A wide variety of medical conditions arise from either inactive or overactive neurons in the brain and other parts of the body. Being able to control neurons to fire correctly may help treat many diseases and researchers at Stanford University are hard at work studying how transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and ultrasound can make that happen.

TMS uses strong magnetic fields to stimulate regions of the brain, a technology that can use a good deal of research to narrow and focus the fields and to be able to activate regions deep within the brain. Ultrasound has relatively recently been shown to be able to perform similar tricks, the researchers using it to activate retinal nerve cells in an attempt to help correct vision problems. Here’s a Stanford video presenting some of the projects that are underway to help introduce noninvasive neural stimulation for new medical applications:

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Stem Cell BioGenerator to Help Repair Broken Hearts

by Medgadged • 2015/01/06 • 0 Comments

NuVascular Technologies (Ashland, MA) has partnered with Worcester Polytechnic Institute and BioSurfaces, Inc. (Ashland, MA) to introduce the BioGenerator stem cell device for clinical applications. The device holds stem cells produced at Worcester from adult bone marrow cells. It can either be attached to the heart wall or injected into cardiac tissue via a catheter.

The electrospun vesicle allows stem cells within to release proteins and growth factors directly into the heart to motivate production of new myocytes. The stem cells themselves stay put and can be removed at any time by explanting the BioGenerator. The hope is that the system will serve as a functional treatment option for hearts damaged by infarcts, eclipsing many current therapies that only marginally and temporarily address the problem.

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Fitbit’s New Heart Rate Monitoring Trackers Now Available

by Medgadged • 2015/01/06 • 0 Comments

Fibit just has just announced that it’s making available two new fitness trackers with heart rate monitoring capabilities. The Fitbit Charge HR and Fitbit Surge, like other heart rate wrist worn trackers, use green LEDs on the rear to detect the pulse as blood flows through the veins and capillaries. You must have solid contact with the skin for a few seconds for this to work, so we’d be skeptical about it working consistently while jogging. On the other hand you can always sample the heart rate during quick stops for a breather.

The Charge HR is a smaller, more basic version that costs $150, while the Surge is being promoted as “the ultimate fitness super watch” with GPS capabilities, ability to control music playing on your smartphone while showing you any text messages you may receive, and a battery life of up to seven days.

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Bellafill FDA Approved to Treat Acne Scars

by Medgadged • 2015/01/06 • 0 Comments

Acne scars from teenage years stay with some throughout their lives, affecting a good chunk of the population and making millions of women apply dense layers of makeup to their face. It’s a constant reminder of one’s age and a source of regret for not taking care of acne when it was active. Now there’s a solution, thanks to an FDA approval, that can purportedly fill in those scars and smooth out the skin to look young and fresh.

The Bellafill product is a mixture of purified bovine collagen and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microspheres. The collagen puffs up the area where it’s injected, while the microspheres provide a structure within which naturally produced collagen can gather. In time, the injected collagen is replaced by the patient’s own, providing natural long-term results. The product has a proven safety record, having been approved for treating nasolabial folds, or smile lines, since 2006.

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Graphene Delivers Two Cancer Drugs to Surface and Interior of Tumor Cells

by Medgadged • 2015/01/06 • 0 Comments

Graphene, a single atom thick material for which a Nobel Prize was awarded, has been hailed as a substance that will change our future. Yet, practical applications for its use in electronics, sensing, and other industries have been slow to materialize. Instead, we may see its most beneficial uses first come to medicine as a team from North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and China Pharmaceutical University have demonstrated graphene’s ability to ferry drugs to cancer sites.

The team bound doxorubicin and a membrane-associated cytokine (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, TRAIL) to tiny sheets of graphene, either directly or by using chains of peptides. When injected into laboratory mice with human lung cancer tumors, the graphene compound sticks to cancer cells thanks to the newly discovered attractive properties of the TRAIL protein. The cancer cells in turn snap off TRAIL proteins from the graphene and swallow up the graphene sheets with the doxorubicin still attached. This way the doxorubicin can attack the nucleus of the diseased cells, where it is most effective, while TRAIL works on the membrane, its preferred target.

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