Bayer HealthCare has announced that EYLEA (aflibercept solution for injection, known in the scientific literature as VEGF Trap-Eye) has achieved the primary endpoint in two pivotal phase III trials for the treatment of diabetic macular oedema (DMO),1 t…
Author: Medical News Today
Smartphone photography helps eye disease diagnosis
A US team has devised a smartphone system for capturing high quality photos of retinas to help diagnose eye diseases. The cheap and easy-to-use system could bring the advantages of affordable telemedicine to ophthalmology clinics…
Treatment with NIR light can prevent the development of retinopathy of prematurity – could save the sight of premature babies
Scientists at Australia’s Vision Centre have made an important breakthrough that could save the sight of premature babies. The researchers found that treatment with near-infrared (NIR) light can prevent the development of retinopathy of prematurity – a…
Early test warns of world’s leading eye disease, age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
A new, quick and simple eye test can predict who is more at risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Researchers at Australia’s Vision Centre (VC) have found that while people with early AMD can still see …
Statin use may raise cataract risk
New research suggests that use of statins, a class of drugs taken by millions of Americans with high cholesterol, is linked to a higher risk for developing cataracts. Dr. Jessica Leuschen, of the San Antonio Military Medical Center, Texas, and colleag…
Researcher identify rare gene variant linked to macular degeneration
An international team of researchers, led by scientists at The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, has identified a gene mutation linked to age-r…
UNC research points to promising treatment for macular degeneration
Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine today published new findings in the hunt for a better treatment for macular degeneration. In studies using mice, a class of drugs known as MDM2 inhibitors proved highly effective at re…
Better treatment for macular degeneration shows promise
New research on mice raises hope of a better, more lasting treatment for macular degeneration, which uses a class of drugs known as MDM2 inhibitors to regress the abnormal blood vessels responsible for the vision loss associated with the disease…
Travel patterns of older adults impacted by visual impairment
Visual impairment in older adults because of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but not glaucoma, in older adults was associated with restriction of travel to nearby locations, according to a study by Frank C. Curriero, Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins…
Discovery of gene may lead to therapy for a retinal disease
Newly-reported findings by researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) provide the first phenotypic evidence that a mutated gene causes one form of progressive retinal atrophy in papillon dogs. Progressive retinal atrophy is analogous to one of the …
Study shows that people who undergo cataract surgery to correct visual impairment live longer
People with cataract-related vision loss who have had cataract surgery to improve their sight are living longer than those with visual impairment who chose not to have the procedure, according to an Australian cohort study published this month in Opht…
Brain depends on vision to hear University of Utah engineers show
University of Utah bioengineers discovered our understanding of language may depend more heavily on vision than previously thought: under the right conditions, what you see can override what you hear. These findings suggest artificial hearing devices …
Study examines uveitis in a Hawaiian population
A study by Nisha R. Acharya, M.D., M.S., of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues examined the incidence and prevalence of uveitis (eye inflammation conditions responsible for a significant proportion of legal blindness in the Uni…
Bayer receives approval of EYLEA® for second indication in Europe
Bayer HealthCare has announced that EYLEA (aflibercept solution for injection, known in the scientific literature as VEGF Trap-Eye) has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to c…
Research highlighting superior numerical skills of congenitally blind people could open up new ways of teaching maths to young children
University of Hull psychologist Dr Julie Castronovo’s research with congenitally blind volunteers has revealed their enhanced skills in processing numerical information during tests. The research, published in specialist journals, shows that during num…
Statins lower risk of cataracts
Cataracts are the leading cause of visual impairment worldwide affecting more than 20 million people. Statins are among the most commonly prescribed medications. In the USA they are prescribed to 1 in 3 people over 45 years of age at a cost of $35 bill…
People can acquire the capacity for echolocation
As blind people can testify, we humans can hear more than one might think. The blind learn to navigate using as guides the echoes of sounds they themselves make…
Alcon receives positive recommendation from NICE Appraisal Committee for use of Jetrea® in patients with vitreomacular traction and macular hole
Alcon, the global leader in eye care, is pleased that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Appraisal Committee has delivered a positive Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) for Jetrea®, recommending its use to treat adults with vitreomacular traction including macular hole of less than or equal to 400 microns when an epiretinal membrane is absent, or…
Technique from astronomy will change the way eye care professionals think about vision correction
Techniques developed by astronomers seeking a clear view of objects in space are coming closer to home, as eye care professionals apply the concept of wavefront optics to understanding – and correcting – subtle visual abnormalities of the human eye, ac…
Scientists discover drug that could combat migraines
Researchers have discovered a new compound that could potentially treat migraines by blocking light sensors in the eyes, according to a study published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology…