This week, a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, explored the connection between regular aspirin use and the potential risks for developing the blinding eye disease, macular degeneration. As a result, there is increased confusion and…
Author: The Medical News
Extramacular scanning shows promise in uveitic disorders
New optical coherence tomography scanning protocols offer enhanced characterization of patients with birdshot chorioretinopathy, UK researchers report.
Gene therapy does not slow or halt progression of cell loss in Leber congenital amaurosis
Independent clinical trials, including one conducted at the Scheie Eye Institute at the Perelman School of Medicine, have reported safety and efficacy for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a congenital form of blindness caused by mutations in a gene (R…
FDA approves Ampio’s IND for Optina for treatment of diabetic macular edema
Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the FDA has accepted the Company’s IND for Optina™ for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Ampio plans to commence enrollment in a clinical trial in the first quarter of 2013. The FDA granted Optina™ 505(b)(2) status in July, 2012. Drugs designated under this pathway can be approved on a single trial.
Gene therapy improves vision but does not halt the progression of cell loss
Independent clinical trials, including one conducted at the Scheie Eye Institute at the Perelman School of Medicine, have reported safety and efficacy for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a congenital form of blindness caused by mutations in a gene (R…
Macular pigment screening: an interview with Jaquie Finn, Product Line Manager at Elektron Technology
AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in anyone over 50 and globally in 2010 it was estimated to cost $340 billion to treat AMD. The costs are set to spiral over the next 20 years and really over burden the healthcare system unless people start to ta…
Study identifies genes for central corneal thickness that may cause eye conditions
Scientists at Singapore Eye Research Institute and A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore have succeeded in identifying genes for central corneal thickness that may cause potentially blinding eye conditions. These eye conditions include glaucoma, as we…
SF3B1 gene mutations in uveal melanoma linked to favorable features
Melanomas that develop in the eye often are fatal. Now, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have identified a mutated gene in melanoma tumors of the eye that appears to predict a good outcome.
Eyes also need light to develop normally during pregnancy
New research in Nature concludes the eye – which depends on light to see – also needs light to develop normally during pregnancy.
Iris nevi have ‘low’ malignant potential
The malignant transformation rate for iris nevi is 8% over 15 years, a case series by US researchers has found.
Aggressive surveillance questionable for eye melanoma recurrence
Patients treated for primary choroidal or ciliary body melanoma may not always benefit from an aggressive surveillance strategy for the detection of metastatic disease, caution US researchers.
Risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity identified
Birthweight and gestational age are risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity and should be considered when screening infants for the condition, a study by Turkish researchers shows.
Local conjunctival metastases ‘may be under-recognized’
Local conjunctival metastases may represent under-recognized lesions arising from the dissemination of primary conjunctival melanoma via local vessels, suggest findings published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
Regenerative medicine: an interview with Christophe Dardel, President of DSM Biomedical
Regenerative medicine is a new, exciting field that is based upon the belief that the human body has the inherent power to heal itself, but in some instances it just needs a little help.
Glaucoma likely to end in visual impairment
Visual impairment at the end of life is highly likely to occur in patients with glaucoma, show Dutch study results.
Abnormally narrow retinal arteries linked to increased risk for glaucoma
A new study finds that certain changes in blood vessels in the eye’s retina can be an early warning that a person is at increased risk for glaucoma, an eye disease that slowly robs people of their peripheral vision.
Optic nerve assessment predicts retinoblastoma outcomes
Magnetic resonance imaging scans taken pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy for International Retinoblastoma Staging System stage III retinoblastoma can indicate a patient’s likely event-free and overall survival, indicate study results.
Thickening of arterial walls causes branch retinal vein occlusion
Branch retinal vein occlusion – blockage of the blood vessels that channel blood from the retina – is a common eye disease. A type of blood clot in the eye, the disease causes reduced vision, and people with the disease also typically have an increased…
Two recent experimental treatments improve visual function in mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa
Two recent experimental treatments – one involving skin-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell grafts, the other gene therapy – have been shown to produce long-term improvement in visual function in mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), accor…
Aspirin use may increase risk of age-related macular degeneration
People who regularly took aspirin 10 years prior to examination had a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of a subtype of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.