http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers have discovered that using two kinds of therapy in tandem may be a knockout combo against inherited disorders that cause blindness. While their study focused on man's best friend, the treatment could help restore vision in people, too. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-one-two-key.html Ophthalmology Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:38:51 EST news284719124 Neurobiologists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute have been able to dissect a mechanism in the retina that facilitates our ability to see both in the dark and in the light. They identified a cellular switch that activates distinct neuronal circuits at a defined light level. The switch cells of the retina act quickly and reliably to turn on and off computations suited specifically for vision in low and high light levels thus facilitating the transition from night to day vision. The scientists have published their results online in Neuron. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-night-vision.html Neuroscience Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:26:54 EST news283595205 (Medical Xpress)—For UCLA bioengineering professor Wentai Liu, more than two decades of visionary research burst into the headlines last month when the FDA approved what it called "the first bionic eye for the blind." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-bionic-eye.html Ophthalmology Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:58:26 EST news283424294 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 Zebrafish, the staple of genetic research, may hold the answer to repairing damaged retinas and returning eye-sight to people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-zebrafish-retinas-eyesight-people.html Ophthalmology Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:33:59 EST news278854432 Light-sensing cells in the eye rely on their outer segment to convert light into neural signals that allow us to see. But because of its unique cylindrical shape, the outer segment is prone to breakage, which can cause blindness in humans. A study published on January 22nd in the Biophysical Journal provides new insight into the mechanical properties that cause the outer segment to snap under pressure. The new experimental and theoretical findings help to explain the origin of severe eye diseases and could lead to new ways of preventing blindness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-eye-cells.html Medical research Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:00:01 EST news278064804 Inherited retinal disease is a major cause of vision impairment in early life - and a researcher at The University of Western Australia hopes a study in which he was involved will contribute towards the development of a drug-based treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-inherited-retinal-disease-treatment.html Medical research Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:59:10 EST news276847139 Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have shown for the first time that transplanting light-sensitive photoreceptors into the eyes of visually impaired mice can restore their vision. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-photoreceptor-transplant-vision-mice.html Medical research Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:03:14 EST news253972832 Can eating grapes slow or help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a debilitating condition affecting millions of elderly people worldwide? Results from a new study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine suggest this might be the case. The antioxidant actions of grapes are believed to be responsible for these protective effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-grapes-age-related.html Ophthalmology Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:21:38 EST news245586079 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 model for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) using novel bipartite gene therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-cell-specific-mechanism-based-gene-therapy-approach.html Medical research Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:48:17 EST news236616485 A new research report published in The FASEB Journal will help ophthalmologists and scientists better understand a rare genetic disease that causes increased susceptibility to blue light, night blindness, and decreased vision called Enhanced S-Cone Syndrome or Goldman-Favre Syndrome. In the report, scientists found that the expression of genes responsible for the healthy renewal of rods and cones in the retina was reduced and that this problem originates in the photoreceptors themselves rather than in the adjacent retinal pigment epithelial layer as once thought. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-scientists-unravel-rare-genetic-disease.html Medical research Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:40:56 EST news234009584 New research at UC Santa Barbara is contributing to the basic biological understanding of how retinas develop. The study is part of the campus's expanding vision research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-scientists-vision.html Medical research Fri, 20 May 2011 12:22:15 EST news225112781 (PhysOrg.com) -- The song about three blind mice may just be a song of the past according to new research presented by neuroscientist Alan Horsager from the Institute of Genetic Medicine at the University of Southern California with the report set to appear in Molecular Therapy. Using genes from algae injected into the retina, Horsager hopes this research will lead to a treatment for some forms of blindness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-algae-solution.html Medical research Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:29:52 EST news222089336