http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Perceptual learning techniques may provide a useful new approach to rehabilitation in patients with central vision loss—taking advantage of visual plasticity that persists even in old age, according to a special article in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-retinal-aid-patients-central-vision.html Ophthalmology Tue, 28 May 2013 04:50:01 EST news288934505 New research is emphasizing the importance of regular screenings for glaucoma, a disease that deteriorates the optic nerve over time and is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The onset of glaucoma is associated with a delay in diagnosing the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-early-screenings-key-glaucoma.html Ophthalmology Fri, 17 May 2013 08:06:38 EST news287996763 Physicians at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center have become the first in Virginia to successfully implant a telescope in a patient's eye to treat macular degeneration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-vcu-medical-center-virginia-implant.html Ophthalmology Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:56:16 EST news285260163 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) continues to be the leading cause of visual impairment in the United States for people over age 65, according to a study recently published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. AMD is a potentially blinding disease that affects more than 9.1 million Americans. This study, which tracked vision loss in relation to eye disease and treatment response in nearly 5,000 patients over a 20-year period, showed that despite the recent discovery of sight-saving drugs and advances in disease prevention, AMD still causes severe vision loss in approximately 15 percent of Americans 85 and older. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-ophthalmologists-urge-early-diagnosis-treatment.html Ophthalmology Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:25:17 EST news284207093 An international group of researchers has discovered seven new regions of the human genome—called loci—that are associated with increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. The AMD Gene Consortium, a network of international investigators representing 18 research groups, also confirmed 12 loci identified in previous studies. The findings are reported online today in the journal Nature Genetics. Supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, the study represents the most comprehensive genome-wide analysis of genetic variations associated with AMD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-genetic-factors-common-eye-disorder.html Genetics Sun, 03 Mar 2013 13:00:32 EST news281520412 (HealthDay)—The prevalence of open-angle glaucoma has increased more than 20 percent in the last 10 years and currently affects more than 2.7 million Americans age 40 years and older, according to a report from Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-open-angle-glaucoma-percent-years.html Ophthalmology Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:51:54 EST news276277617 Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have shed light on the activity of a protein pair found in cells that form the walls of blood vessels in the brain and retina, experiments that could lead to therapeutic control of the blood-brain barrier and of blood vessel growth in the eye. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-blood-vessel-proteins-blood-brain-barrier.html Medical research Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:00:26 EST news274005083 Rapid eye movements are significantly delayed in patients with glaucoma, even those in the early stages of the disease, research has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-rapid-eye-movements-significantly-people.html Ophthalmology Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:02:27 EST news274014138 Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20 to 74 years old. Dr. Michael Grodin, co-director of retinal services and director of clinical research at Katzen Eye Group, with locations around Baltimore, discusses eye problems and the link to diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-diabetes-people.html Diabetes Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:42:26 EST news273505339 People who have eye diseases that damage their central vision can regain the ability to read quickly and comfortably by using digital tablets, according to a recent study. The research found that people with moderate vision loss could increase their reading speed by 15 words-per-minute, on average. Using a tablet with a back-lit screen resulted in the fastest reading speeds for all study participants, no matter what their level of visual acuity. The research is being presented today at the 116th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, jointly conducted this year with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-digital-tablets-ease-people-moderate.html Ophthalmology Sun, 11 Nov 2012 10:34:59 EST news271852433 The first study to compare accident rates for drivers who have advanced glaucoma − an eye disease that affects peripheral vision − with normal-vision drivers, found that the glaucoma group had about twice as many accidents. This study, which was conducted in Japan using a driving simulator, suggests that potential drivers should pass a visual field test to ensure adequate peripheral vision before a license is granted or renewed. The research is being presented today at the 116th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, jointly conducted this year with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-glaucoma-related-vision-loss-auto-accidents.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sun, 11 Nov 2012 10:32:27 EST news271852323 For the first time, Wisconsin researchers have taken skin from patients and, using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, turned them into a laboratory model for an inherited type of macular degeneration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-cells-skin-eye-disease.html Genetics Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:23:43 EST news271592604 (Medical Xpress)—Surgeons at UC Davis Medical Center have successfully implanted a new telescope implant in the eye of a patient with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most advanced form of the disease and a leading cause of blindness in older Americans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-surgical-implant-vision-patients-age-related.html Ophthalmology Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:35:22 EST news266744110 Research conducted at the Angiogenesis Laboratory at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, has for the first time, identified the mode of death of cone photoreceptor cells in an animal model of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-elucidate-death-photoreceptor-cells-retinitis.html Ophthalmology Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:00:01 EST news264677694 Researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division and their collaborators have isolated an elusive human gene that causes a common form of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a relatively rare but devastating form of early-onset blindness. The new LCA gene is called NMNAT1. Finding the specific gene mutated in patients with LCA is the first step towards developing sight-saving gene therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-elusive-gene-leber-congenital-amaurosis.html Genetics Sun, 29 Jul 2012 13:00:11 EST news262780124 At two years, Avastin (bevacizumab) and Lucentis (ranibizumab injection), two widely used drugs to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), improve vision when administered monthly or on an as needed basis, although greater improvements in vision were seen with monthly administration for this common, debilitating eye disease, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-avastin-lucentis-equivalent-age-related-macular.html Ophthalmology Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:40:01 EST news255013861 Scientists at Trinity College Dublin have discovered that a part of the immune system called the inflammasome is involved in regulating the development of one of the most common forms of blindness, called Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). They have discovered that controlling an inflammatory component IL-18, in cases of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) could prevent the development of the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-scientists-major-breakthrough-age-related-macular.html Ophthalmology Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:00:01 EST news253086701 (Medical Xpress) -- Every year, more than 200,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in Americans age 60 or older. There is no known cure for the disease, which can lead to partial or complete vision loss. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-device.html Ophthalmology Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:40:11 EST news249727184 As a pre-teen, Amber McMahon was a voracious reader. When she stopped curling up with her favorite books, her family chalked it up to adolescent distractions. When she asked to sit closer to the blackboard in school, her parents began to worry and take her to doctors for her worsening vision. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-millions-vision-special-tools.html Other Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:50:01 EST news237469576 (Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in Ophthalmology reveals that while taking a daily aspirin may reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke, a disturbing side effect has also been noted to increase the risk of developing macular degeneration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-daily-aspirin-intake.html Ophthalmology Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:10:01 EST news237033341 Eating a diet high in vitamin D, as well as the nutrients betaine and methionine, might help reduce the risk of macular degeneration, according to new research conducted by Tufts Medical Center scientists. Their study of identical twins from the US World War II Twin Registry also found that the more a person smoked, the higher their risk of developing macular degeneration. The study, "Smoking, Dietary Betaine, Methionine, and Vitamin D in Monozygotic Twins with Discordant Macular Degeneration: Epigenetic Implications" published in the journal Ophthalmology on July 1, is the first to look at identical twin pairs in which one twin had early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and the other had late stage AMD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-twin-lifestyle-diet-significantly-macular.html Health Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:12:57 EST news229104757