In its work plan for 2012, the Office of Inspector General at HHS will study how many office visits, eye exams, skin grafts, and other services are performed by unqualified nonphysicians. Medscape Medical News
Category: News
Studies Estimate Prevalence of Vision Disorders in Children
Risk factors include age, ethnicity, prenatal smoking, and access to health insurance. Medscape Medical News
Biologists Study Color Detection In The Eye
New York University biologists have identified a new mechanism for regulating color vision by studying a mutant fly named after Frank (‘Ol Blue Eyes) Sinatra. Their findings, which appear in the journal Nature, focus on how the visual system functions …
Detecting Glaucoma Before It Blinds
Early detection and diagnosis of open angle glaucoma important so that treatment can be used in the early stages of the disease developing to prevent or avoid further vision loss…
Trojan Horse Tactics Enable Chlamydia To Infect Cells
A novel mechanism has been identified in which Chlamydia trachomatis tricks host cells into taking up the bacteria. Researchers from University of California San Francisco, led by Joanne Engel, report their findings in the Open Access journal PLoS Path…
Prevention Of Toxoplasmosis In Newborns Inadequate In The US
North American babies who acquire toxoplasmosis infections in the womb show much higher rates of brain and eye damage than European infants with the same infection, according to new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine…
Inflammation Generated By Oxidative Stress Blocked By Immune Mechanism
Conditions like atherosclerosis and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — the most common cause of blindness among the elderly in western societies — are strongly linked to increased oxidative stress, the process in which proteins, lipids and DNA …
Glasses Helpful as Sole Treatment in Strabismic Amblyopia
In a prospective study, optical treatment alone resolved at least a quarter of strabismic and combined-mechanism amblyopia in children aged 5 to 7 years. Medscape Medical News
MedPac Recommends New ‘Doc Fix’
MedPac has voted to repeal the SGR formula in a plan that freezes Medicare rates for primary care doctors for 10 years and cuts those for specialists for 3 straight years, followed by a 7-year freeze. Medscape Medical News
New Retinal Imaging System EasyScan Does Not Require Pupil Dilatation
i-Optics from The Hague, The Netherands, developed a new retinal imaging system that uses scanning laser ophthalmoscope technology to detect early eye pathology like diabetic retinopathy. This technology provides a better contrast than regular fundus c…
Three Penn labs receive NIH grant to speed translation of medical research into patient care
Three labs from the University of Pennsylvania have received $12.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of its $143.8 million national grant program to challenge the scientific status quo with innovative ideas that have the pote…
After Mild Stroke, More Screening Essential To Identify Depression, Vision Loss
On the surface they appear unaffected, but people who have mild strokes may live with hidden disabilities, including depression, vision problems and difficulty thinking, according to a study released at the Canadian Stroke Congress…
We Discount The Pain Of People We Don’t Like
If a patient is not likeable, will he or she be taken less seriously when exhibiting or complaining about pain? Reporting in the October 2011 issue of PAINĀ®, researchers have found that observers of patients estimate lower pain intensity and are perce…
Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment Using Cell-Specific Mechanism-Based Gene Therapy Approach
In a paper published in the October 2011 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, a team of researchers at Columbia University Medical Center led by Stephen Tsang, MD, Ph.D have achieved temporary functional preservation of photoreceptors in a mouse…
Cocaine Users Diagnosed With Glaucoma Two Decades Earlier Than Nonusers
A study of the 5.3 million men and women seen in Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinics in a one-year period found that use of cocaine is predictive of open-angle glaucoma, the most common type of glaucoma. The study revealed that after adju…
Typical Pediatric Vision Screening Can Miss Retinoblastoma
A case study highlights the importance of assessing ocular media clarity using red-reflex testing during the preschool years, calling into question a set of recently revised guidelines. Medscape Medical News
Earlier Screenings For Glaucoma Recommended
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Although it can be treated, new research shows Canadians may not be doing enough to protect themselves. According to a new study by Lawson Health Research Institute’s Dr. Cindy Hutnik, many C…
DMEI dedicates new $46M research and clinical facility
Officials from the Dean McGee Eye Institute today announced the dedication of the Institute’s new $46 million, five-story, 78,000-square-foot, world-class research and clinical facility.
MDC Partners acquires majority stake in Concentric Pharma
Concentric Pharma Advertising, one of the largest and fastest-growing healthcare advertising agencies in the country, announced today that MDC Partners, Inc., has acquired a majority stake in the company.
Abnormal Head Posture in Down Syndrome May Have Ocular Cause
A new review has found that 24.7% of children with Down syndrome have abnormal head posture. Medscape Medical News