http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults in the United States. According to recent studies funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), diabetic retinopathy, one of the most common and debilitating complications of diabetes, increased by 3.7 million new cases over the last decade. Approximately 7.7 million Americans are now affected by diabetic retinopathy. Even more alarming, the rate is projected to climb to 11 million by 2030. People with diabetes are also at greater risk for cataracts, which is a clouding of the eye lens, and glaucoma, which damages the optic nerve. But diabetic retinopathy is by far the most common sight-threatening condition among people with diabetes and is the leading cause of blindness in adults aged 20 to 74 years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-sharp-diabetic-eye-disease-american.html Diabetes Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:30:06 EST news271495095 People who take statins to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease are less likely to be diagnosed with the most common form of glaucoma, according to a nationwide study of more than 300,000 patients. A University of Michigan School of Medicine research team, directed by Joshua Stein, MD, MS, found that the risk for glaucoma was reduced by eight percent in patients who took statins continuously for two years, compared with patients who did not take statins. The study, the largest to date on the topic, is published in the October issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-national-glaucoma-patients-statins.html Ophthalmology Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:35:20 EST news268306513 A Danish sperm donor has passed a potentially severe genetic disorder to five children after a screening test failed to catch that he had the disease, health officials said Monday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-danish-sperm-donor-genetic-disorder.html Other Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:02:42 EST news267724943 The real culprits of colour blindness are vision cells rather than unusual wiring in the eye and brain, recent research has shown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-vision-cells-brain-blame-colour.html Ophthalmology Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:11:58 EST news267437511 (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 (Medical Xpress) -- Emory Eye Center investigators have found that smartphone displays are as good, and may be better, for reading fundus photographs of the back of the eye (retina and optic nerve) than desktop computer monitors.   http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-smartphone-tool-emergency-department-diagnosis.html Ophthalmology Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:51:08 EST news262248660 Hypertension frequently coexists in patients with diabetes. A new University of Georgia study shows why the co-morbid conditions can result in impaired vision. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-hypertension-eyes-diabetic-patients.html Diabetes Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:22:31 EST news261310932 Stem cells that come from a specific part of the developing brain help fuel the growth of brain tumors caused by an inherited condition, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-pediatric-tumors-stem-cells-brain.html Cancer Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:14 EST news261052534 (HealthDay) -- An ocular stent that's designed to reduce inner-eye pressure among people with mild or moderate open-angle glaucoma has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-glaucoma-stent.html Ophthalmology Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:07:30 EST news259898811 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers have long tried to get the optic nerve to regenerate when injured, with some success, but no one has been able to demonstrate recovery of vision. A team at Boston Children’s Hospital reports a three-pronged intervention that not only got optic nerve fibers to grow the full length of the visual pathway (from retina to the visual areas of the brain), but also restored some basic elements of vision in live mice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-scientists-regenerate-optic-nerve-components.html Medical research Mon, 21 May 2012 15:00:34 EST news256812886 A research team, led by John Guy, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has pioneered a novel technological treatment for Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), an inherited genetic defect that causes rapid, permanent, and bilateral loss of vision in people of all ages, but primarily males ages 20-40. Genetic mutations in the mitochondria (part of the cell that produces energy) cause the disorder. Currently, there is no cure for LHON. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-team-breakthrough-degenerative-vision-disorder.html Ophthalmology Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:06:00 EST news254419552 A six-year collaboration between two faculty members of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has yielded new insight regarding the regulation of intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma - an irreversible blinding disease that causes progressive visual impairment due to optic nerve damage and is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-breakthrough-iop-glaucoma.html Ophthalmology Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:51:03 EST news252841846 Jackson Laboratory researchers have demonstrated that a single, targeted x-ray treatment of an individual eye in young, glaucoma-prone mice provided that eye with apparently life-long and typically complete protection from glaucoma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-x-ray-treatment-mice-glaucoma.html Ophthalmology Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:00:08 EST news251374828 (Medical Xpress) -- For the first time, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made early retina structures containing proliferating neuroretinal progenitor cells using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from human blood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-scientists-eye-human-blood-derived-stem.html Ophthalmology Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:03:09 EST news250934581 Measurement of pressure within the eye, or intraocular pressure (IOP), is known to fluctuate throughout the day, and wide swings in patients with glaucoma are believed to be related to the progression of the disease, which can cause permanent damage to the optic nerve and vision. The clinical assessment of IOP, however, has been restricted to office visits during daytime hours. In a new study, parents using the Icare Rebound Tonometer evaluated IOP patterns in normal children at home, establishing comparative values that may be useful for the study and treatment of children with glaucoma. The research is published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-home-eye-pressure-children-glaucoma.html Ophthalmology Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:25:04 EST news250334697 A new study identifies specific cell-stress signaling pathways that link injury of the optic nerve with irreversible vision loss. The research, published by Cell Press in the February 9 issue of the journal Neuron, may lead to new strategies that will help to protect vulnerable neurons in the retina after optic nerve damage and diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-stress-pathway-potential-therapeutic-vision.html Neuroscience Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:00:01 EST news247918616 Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness. Nearly 4 million Americans have the disorder, which affects 70 million worldwide. There is no cure and no early symptoms. Once vision is lost, it's permanent. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-focus-glaucoma-path-potential.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:29:56 EST news246022190 It has long been thought that blindness after brain lesions is irreversible and that damage to the optic nerves leads to permanent impairments in everyday activities such as reading, driving, and spatial orientation. A new study published in Elsevier's Brain Stimulation suggests that treating such patients with low levels of non-invasive, repetitive, transorbital alternating current stimulation (rtACS) for 10 days (30-40 min per day) significantly reduces visual impairment and markedly improves vision-related quality of life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-noninvasive-current-sight-patients-optic.html Neuroscience Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:37:43 EST news239276251 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. Writing in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics, researchers in the US have analyzed and ranked the various risk factors for open angle glaucoma so that patients can be screened at an earlier stage if they are more likely to develop the condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-glaucoma.html Medical research Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:13:16 EST news237114778 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. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-cocaine-users-percent-glaucoma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:26:25 EST news236517975 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 Canadian glaucoma patients are not screened until the disease has reached moderate or advanced stages. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-glaucoma-screenings-late.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:22:54 EST news236510569 (Medical Xpress) -- An unexpected discovery has led scientists to open an intriguing new window into the human brain, via the visual system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-scientists-window-brain.html Neuroscience Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:09:24 EST news232877335 (AP) -- Again and again, 12-year-old Brianna Bowens cautiously pokes the human eyeball. On purpose. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-eye-anatomy-kids-med-careers.html Other Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:59:54 EST news230821174 Measuring oxygen during eye surgery, investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered a reason that may explain why African-Americans have a higher risk of glaucoma than Caucasians. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-oxygen-eyes-african-americans-glaucoma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:39:50 EST news229624741 In recent years, spending for glaucoma medications has increased, especially for women, persons who have only public health insurance and those with less than a high school education, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-expenditures-glaucoma-medications.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:01:48 EST news227199689 NJIT and UMDNJ have executed a license agreement with The Incubation Factory, St. Louis, MO, covering their personal tonometer technology on which a patent is pending. The tonometer was developed by a research team led by NJIT Professor Gordon Thomas, PhD, and Robert Fechtner, MD, director of the glaucoma division at UMDNJ. NJIT Associate Professor Tara Alvarez was a member of the research team. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-njit-umdnj-personal-tonometer-technology.html Other Tue, 17 May 2011 13:01:54 EST news224856104 A single interneuron controls activity adaptively in 50,000 neurons, enabling consistently sparse codes for odors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-giant-interneuron-sparse-coding.html Neuroscience Fri, 13 May 2011 10:41:40 EST news224502069 (Medical Xpress) -- In addition to the health problems children with multiple sclerosis face, a risk of obesity has entered the picture. A new study conducted by pediatric MS specialists at the University at Buffalo has found that children with multiple sclerosis and other pediatric demyelinating disorders are at increased risk of childhood obesity, compared to children without these disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-children-ms-obese-childhood.html Health Thu, 12 May 2011 06:46:22 EST news224401536 Elevated pressure inside the eye, cornea thinning, and visual field loss are all markers that glaucoma may progress, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-factors-glaucoma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 09 May 2011 17:06:59 EST news224179593 Jackson Laboratory researchers and their collaborators have reported their discovery of a gene implicated in an acute and severe form of glaucoma known as angle-closure glaucoma (ACG). The gene's activity points to previously unsuspected mechanisms involved in both ACG and infant eye development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-team-genetic-clue-emergency-glaucoma.html Genetics Mon, 02 May 2011 11:02:54 EST news223552946