Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Eye Health / Blindness News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/eye_health/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120472.php A recent nationwide survey of nearly 4,000 Americans by VSP® Vision Care revealed that more than three-quarters (76 percent) of children under the age of five have never had a comprehensive eye exam. Eye Health / Blindness Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120546.php SARcode Corporation, a private company focused on small molecule LFA-1 inhibitors to treat inflammatory diseases, and Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNSS) today announced SARcode's initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of a small molecule LFA-1 product candidate for T-cell mediated ophthalmic diseases. Eye Health / Blindness Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120490.php Electronic fingerprinting, iris scans, and signature recognition software are all becoming commonplace biometrics for user authentication and security. However, they all suffer from one major drawback - they can be spoofed by a sufficiently sophisticated intruder. Writing in the International Journal of Biometrics, Japanese researchers describe a new approach based on a person's reflexes that could never be copied, forged, or spoofed. IT / Internet / E-mail Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120348.php Acucela Inc. and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to co-develop Rebamipide ophthalmic suspension (hereinafter, Rebamipide), Otsuka's proprietary compound for the treatment of dry eye which is currently in Phase III clinical development in the United States. Eye Health / Blindness Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120487.php Ever seen or heard something that wasn't there? For most of us such experiences - termed hallucinations - are a normal, fleeting, brain glitch; yet for a few they are persistent, distressing and associated with a range of psychiatric, neurological and eye conditions. In the September Issue of Cortex Dominic H. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120237.php An Internet retailer was ordered to pay over £60,000 as the General Optical Council (GOC) successfully concluded a criminal prosecution for illegal sales of contact lenses. Vision Direct pleaded guilty to six offences of selling contact lenses without a valid specification and without the supervision of a registered doctor or optician. Sale and supply of optical appliances are regulated under the Opticians Act. Eye Health / Blindness Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120113.php One aspect of aging that's usually fixable is cloudy vision due to cataracts. In an otherwise healthy eye, cataract removal results in improved vision 95 percent of the time, according to the September issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Cataracts are common. By age 65, about half of all Americans have developed some degree of lens clouding due to cataracts. Eye Health / Blindness Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120055.php A campaign to recruit a new lay chair of the General Optical Council (GOC) and 11 Council members has been launched recently. The process is being independently managed by the Appointments Commission. This is the first time that all GOC Council members will be selected by an external body. The move is in line with Government recommendations outlined in the White Paper on healthcare regulation, Trust, Assurance and Safety. Eye Health / Blindness Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120038.php Typically, drivers gaze along a curve as they negotiate it, but they also look at other parts of the road, the dashboard, traffic signs and oncoming vehicles. A new study finds that when drivers fix their gaze on specific targets placed strategically along a curve, their steering is smoother and more stable than it is in normal conditions. Eye Health / Blindness Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119954.php The General Optical Council (GOC) has removed from its registers a total of 399 student optometrists and dispensing opticians who failed to renew their registration for 2008/9. When compared to last year's figures, this represents a three per cent increase in the number of students who failed to complete the retention process. The relevant education providers and examining bodies are being sent lists of students who have been removed. Eye Health / Blindness Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119991.php Doctors and medical centers across the United States are debating the use of electronic health records (EHR). This month's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, provides a look at Eye M.D.s' actions and opinions on the issue. Eye Health / Blindness Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119831.php Patients are not the only ones at risk during cardiac procedures. Doctors performing heart surgery also face health risks, namely to their eyes. The IAEA is helping to raise awareness of threats, through training in radiation protection related to medical uses of X-ray imaging systems. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119723.php The advantage of using two eyes to see the world around us has long been associated solely with our capacity to see in 3-D. Now, a new study from a scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has uncovered a truly eye-opening advantage to binocular vision: our ability to see through things. Eye Health / Blindness Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119729.php The General Optical Council (GOC) has been praised by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) for successfully meeting the required standards of performance in all aspects of its work. In its annual Performance Assessment of how the GOC operates its core functions, the CHRE also identifies key strengths from the last 12 months. These include the Council's internal governance processes, such as an appraisal system for fitness to practise panel members. Eye Health / Blindness Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119634.php Having discovered a genetic trigger for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in people over 50, researchers report that an experimental state-of-the-art therapy for treating eye disease could adversely affect the vision of some patients with the "wrong" genetic makeup. Eye Health / Blindness Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119635.php Patients with glaucoma have a promising new treatment option for the reduction of elevated pressure inside the eye. Very small, complex catheters can now be inserted into small drainage structures within the eye, enabling glaucoma surgeons to enlarge these compromised outflow passages for the treatment of glaucoma. These microcatheters are measured in microns or approximately the size of four to five human hairs combined. Eye Health / Blindness Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119601.php In a study that underscores the important role that individual genetic profiles will play in the development of new therapies for disease, a multi-institutional research team - led by Kang Zhang, MD, PhD professor of ophthalmology and human genetics at Shiley Eye Center at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine - has made two important discoveries related to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 60. Eye Health / Blindness Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119574.php Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd (Novartis) welcomed the Final National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Guidance for age-related macular degeneration. NICE guidance recommends Lucentis(R) (ranibizumab) for the treatment of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). Eye Health / Blindness Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119489.php Guidance published yesterday by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will save the sight of thousands affected by the UK's leading cause of blindness, says the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The long awaited final guidance on anti-VEGF drugs means that patients in England and Wales with wet Eye Health / Blindness Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119439.php Daily treatment with a medication called pirenzepine can slow the rate of progressive myopia, or nearsightedness, in children, reports a study in the August issue of the Journal of AAPOS (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus). Led by Dr. R. Michael Stiatkowski of Dean McGee Eye Institute/University of Oklahoma Department of Ophthalmology, the researchers evaluated the effects of pirenzepine in children with myopia. Eye Health / Blindness Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119450.php Noah was seven years old when an errant paintball smashed into his left eye and sent him from the sidelines of his brothers' game to the emergency room. "I remember being very dizzy and I couldn't stop vomiting," said Noah. "I had to wait in the hospital for my eye pressure to go down and for all the blood to drain out of my eye. Eye Health / Blindness Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119423.php Previous research has found that when vision is lost, a person's senses of touch and hearing become enhanced. But exactly how this happens has been unclear. Now a long-term study from the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) demonstrates that sudden and complete loss of vision leads to profound -- but rapidly reversible -- changes in the visual cortex. Eye Health / Blindness Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119490.php NICE has published its final guidance on the use of ranibizumab (Lucentis) and pegaptanib (Macugen) for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This means that the appeals against the final draft guidance on the use of these drugs have not been upheld. Eye Health / Blindness Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119415.php Daily treatment with pirenzepine can slow the rate of progressive myopia in children, according to an article published on August 26, 2008 in the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS). When someone is myopic, or nearsighted, he is able to focus on objects that are close to the eye but objects that are more distant appear blurry. Eye Health / Blindness Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119267.php Bayer HealthCare AG and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: REGN) announced that patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) receiving VEGF Trap-Eye in a Phase 2 extension study on a PRN (as needed) dosing schedule continued to show highly significant improvements at 52 weeks in the primary and key secondary endpoints of retinal thickness (an anatomic measure of treatment effect) and vision gain. Eye Health / Blindness