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Ophthalmology news

Genetics

Scientists discover gene responsible for rare, inherited eye disease

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their colleagues have identified a gene responsible for some inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), which are a group of disorders that damage the eye's light-sensing ...

Ophthalmology

Case series offers insights on corneal epithelial ingrowth after small incision lenticule extraction surgery

Corneal epithelial ingrowth (EI) is a rare but significant complication following small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgery. Although this refractive procedure offers several advantages, such as a smaller incision ...

Immunology

Researchers discover new role of immune cells in eye health

The eye is an immune-privileged tissue because of the need to keep blood vessels away from the central pathway of light and to restrict entry of inflammatory cells that could cause damage. This has prompted questions about ...

Health

Your eyes could reveal the first signs of many diseases

Melissa, a 30-year-old educator, came to the emergency department with a sudden onset of double vision. She had not been in an accident or suffered any trauma and had never experienced this symptom before. However, she noted ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Laughter may be as effective as drops for dry eye disease

Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic condition estimated to affect around 360 million individuals worldwide. Common symptoms include uncomfortable, red, scratchy or irritated eyes.

Genetics

Gene therapy found to be effective in hereditary blindness

Bothnia dystrophy is a form of hereditary blindness, prevalent in the region Västerbotten in Sweden. A new study at Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Communications shows that gene therapy can improve vision in patients ...

Genetics

100-fold improvement in sight seen after gene therapy trial

The vision of people with a rare inherited condition that causes them to lose much of their sight early in childhood was 100 times better after they received gene therapy to address the genetic mutation causing it. Some patients ...

Ophthalmology

Understanding Graves' disease

Graves' disease is a condition of the immune system that leads to an overactive thyroid. It is caused by antibodies attacking the thyroid by mistake. The thyroid and the hormones it produces are the gas pedal for the body. ...

Ophthalmology

Potential way to halt blinding macular degeneration identified

Researchers have successfully treated age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in mice after finding an unexpected link between the two main forms of the blinding eye disease, the leading cause of vision loss in people 60 and ...

Ophthalmology

Americans lack knowledge about eye health

Americans' lack of knowledge about eye health may put their vision at risk, according to a survey released by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Neuroscience

Research suggests expanding amblyopia treatment approaches

When University of California, Irvine neurobiologist Carey Y.L. Huh, Ph.D., set her sights on discovering more about amblyopia, she brought personal insight to her quest. As a child, Huh was diagnosed with the condition, ...

Ophthalmology

Faster, cheaper tests for myopia in sight

The world's most common vision problem myopia or short/near sightedness, which causes damage to the eye and even blindness, just got easier to assess.

Ophthalmology

Many older people's lens prescriptions are wrong

Overall, Swedish 70-year-olds' eyesight is good, but many could see even better. Six in ten can improve their vision by getting eyeglasses or changing the power of the glasses they already have, according to a new study from ...

Neuroscience

Scientists show that the eyes can measure hearing

In 1998, University of Oregon researcher Avinash Singh Bala was working with barn owls in an Institute of Neuroscience lab when the birds' eyes caught his attention.

Health

Poor sight causes people to overstep the mark

People with vision impairment are more cautious when stepping over obstacles when walking—but increase their risk of falls, according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Neuroscience

Study shows vision is not always the cause of learning disorders

Learning difficulties in schoolchildren are not always associated with visual problems, since they may be neurobiological or derived from other alterations such as dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ...

Ophthalmology

Imaging of conjunctival goblet cells helps diagnosis of dry eyes

Goblet cells are epithelial cells that produce mucins and disperse tears which help the surface of eyes maintain their wet environment. Goblet cells are closely related to autoimmune diseases including dry eyes and chemical ...

Ophthalmology

New cell models for ocular drug discovery

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have developed two new cell models that can open up new avenues for ocular drug discovery. The new cell models are continuously growing retinal pigment epithelial cells, which ...

Neuroscience

The eyes are the window to the nervous system

Individuals who experience an unpleasant tingling in their hands or feet or who suffer from painful discomfort and numbness could be affected by a neuropathy—a disorder of the nervous system in which the nerve fibers become ...

Diabetes

Helper protein worsens diabetic eye disease

In a recent study using mice, lab-grown human retinal cells and patient samples, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they found evidence of a new pathway that may contribute to degeneration of the light sensitive tissue ...