As millions take to the playing field this spring, the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons warns the public that thousands of people are blinded by sports-related eye injuries.
Tag: Eye Health / Blindness
Pterygium, common eye condition, treated non-surgically
A new report reveals a potential breakthrough in the treatment of a common eye ailment known as pterygium (Surfer’s eye) that impacts the vision, eye health, and cosmetic appearance of countless sufferers.
Researchers uncover the secrets behind a marine creature’s defensive armor, one that is exceptionally tough, yet optically clear
The shells of a sea creature, the mollusk Placuna placenta, are not only exceptionally tough, but also clear enough to read through. Now, researchers at MIT have analyzed these shells to determine exactly why they are so resistant to penetration and da…
Why we miss subtle visual changes, and why it keeps us sane
Ever notice how Harry Potter’s T-shirt abruptly changes from a crewneck to a henley shirt in “The Order of the Phoenix,” or how in “Pretty Woman,” Julia Roberts’ croissant inexplicably morphs into a pancake? Don’t worry if you missed those continuity b…
Discovery offers hope for new treatments for retinal blindness
A new report published online in The FASEB Journal may lead the way toward new treatments or a cure for a common cause of blindness (proliferative retinopathies). Specifically, scientists have discovered that the body’s innate immune system does more t…
American Academy of Ophthalmology announces official launch of IRIS Registry
The American Academy of Ophthalmology today announced the official launch of the IRIS™ Registry, or Intelligent Research in Sight, the nation’s first comprehensive eye disease and condition registry.
Exercise and occasional drinking may protect against visual impairment
You stay physically active, but you are also fond of the occasional drink? Not to worry, you may be doing your eyes a favor, according to new research in the journal Ophthalmology.”Visual impairment” – loss of sight caused by eye disease, trauma or a c…
Early detection of childhood eye cancer doesn’t always improve survival, prevent eye loss
For the most common form of childhood eye cancer, unilateral retinoblastoma, shortening the time from the first appearance of symptoms to diagnosis of disease has no bearing on survival or stage of the disease, according to a study by researchers at Co…
NHS sight tests include unevaluated screening examinations that lead to waste
On bmj.com, a leading eye doctor says that opticians are making too many referrals to doctors.Michael Clarke, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Newcastle Eye Centre, says that apart from trauma and orthopaedics, ophthalmology receives more NHS outpatient r…
How safe are ‘eye-safe’ lasers when very low-energy radiation can damage DNA?
Damage to DNA by high energy radiation constitutes the most lethal damage occurring at the cellular level. Surprisingly, very low-energy interactions – with OH radicals, for instance – can also induce DNA damage, including double strand breaks. It is k…
Driving simulator used to help learn how the visually impaired can drive safely
A diagnosis of hemianopia, or blindness in one half of the visual field in both eyes as the result of strokes, tumors or trauma often means the end of driving.In about half of the states in the United States and in many other countries, driving with he…
Movement kicks visual system into higher gear
Whether you’re a Major League outfielder chasing down a hard-hit ball or a lesser mortal navigating a busy city sidewalk, it pays to keep a close watch on your surroundings when walking or running.
Is glaucoma, in fact, diabetes of the brain?
Researchers at All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research India have proposed a new mechanism of glaucoma which suggests that diabetes can occur in the brain and may be the cause of many neurodegenerative disord…
Low-cost devices developed to turn smartphones into ‘eye-phones’
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed two inexpensive adapters that enable a smartphone to capture high-quality images of the front and back of the eye. The adapters make it easy for anyone with minimal training to ta…
Sensory substitution approach enables blind to ‘see’ bodies with sound
People born unable to see are readily capable of learning to perceive the shape of the human body through soundscapes that translate images into sound, according to researchers who report their findings in the Cell Press journal Current Biology.
Sight-saving eye drops could replace injections
Drug treatments for diseases that cause blindness could be delivered by eye drops instead of uncomfortable and costly eye injections, say UK researchers. The team reports how it tested this innovation on animals in the nanotechnology journal Small.
Link discovered between sharp vision and the brain’s processing speed
Middle-aged adults who suddenly need reading glasses, patients with traumatic brain injuries, and people with visual disorders such as “lazy eye” may have one thing in common – “visual crowding,” an inability to recognize individual items surrounded by…
Contact lenses recommended for babies after cataract surgery
It is standard for adults and children who undergo cataract surgery to be implanted with an artificial lens in their eye. But a clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute suggests that the ideal treatment for infants should be surgery followed…
New innovation could mean eye injections are a thing of the past
Drugs used to treat blindness-causing disorders could be successfully administered by eye drops rather than unpleasant and expensive eye injections, according to new research led by UCL scientists that could be a breakthrough for the millions worldwide…
Motion-sensing cells in the eye let the brain ‘know’ about directional changes
How do we “know” from the movements of speeding car in our field of view if it’s coming straight toward us or more likely to move to the right or left?Scientists have long known that our perceptions of the outside world are processed in our cortex, the…